Forgotten
by RainbowSpark18
Summary: I'm practically nonexistent. Not even my brother came back for me. Now I'm in a world that comes right out of a book, forced to fight with and against people I don't know. Oh, and did I mention my brother's a traitor? My name's Layla Castellan, and I'm Luke's forgotten sister.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Sparks! I'm back on fanfic, but Death Wings is still on hiatus as of now. Please enjoy my new story! Sorry for OOC-ness of characters. And as a warning now, some of the future chapters will have direct conversations from _The_ _Last Olympian._**

* * *

Nobody seems to remember that I exist in this world. Even the only person that ever cared about me, my brother, I haven't seen him in over a year. The saddest part is, I barely remember him. I was only a three when he decided to run away. At least, that's what Mother said, when she wasn't having one of her moments.

My mother, May Castellan, terrified me at times. Her eyes would glow this ethereal green color, and her voice would sound like she's talking through three different people at once. She would clutch onto one of our mythological beanbags (who she seems adamant on adding Mr. and Mrs. before. Hearing her talk to Mrs. Medusa is just plain creepy), and scream about how my brother, Luke, was doomed. Then the green smoke would disappear, leaving the frazzled, frail form of my mother, and she would go back into the kitchen to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and batches of cookies. Always with the cookies. And then there was all the Kool-Aid…

As of now, I'm only seventeen. I'm the only real provider in this household, and that's a pretty sad thought. When I'm not dealing with the drama that is twelfth grade, I'm off at work at the mall, then the neighborhood bookstore, then at the local café run by my friend's parents, and finally working until eleven every night at McDonald's. Trying to juggle all of my jobs plus my schoolwork was exhausting, but somehow I managed.

School, work, taking care of Mother, and cursing my brother and father's names to the wind was the story of my life. Yeah, I say Luke's name and curse him out like a sailor, and as for my father…I never met him, let alone learn his name. Luke left me as a child to deal with Mom, when I couldn't even take care of myself. I remember hearing his voice when he was nine, saying that he was leaving, but that he would come back for me someday. Well, here I am nine years later, still stuck with the lunatic waiting for a son that will never come home.

That was my life before I learned what happened to Luke, before my life went off a cliff into the fiery pits of Tartarus.

My name is Layla Thea Castellan, and I am Luke's younger, forgotten sister.

And this is my story.

* * *

It had been just another normal day, me going to the living torture that was high school, sitting through my AICE courses, while trying to focus on my General Papers teacher, Mrs. Lyons. She had gone off on some tangent about Shakespeare's _Midsummer Night Dream,_ and I had dozed off, staring outside at the boring Connecticut scenery. It wasn't surprising that I had lost focus; I had ADHD and dyslexia after all, and being in an AICE class in general was a miracle in itself. Mom had celebrated with cookies.

I want to burn all of those God-forsaken cookies. All they brought back was bad memories.

Anyways, as I was daydreaming about the day I would finally get to leave the small town of Westport, Connecticut, I heard a loud hissing noise from the front of the room. Frowning, I turned in the direction of the noise, and immediately stifled a gasp.

One of the school cheerleaders-Kelli, I think was her name-had fangs like a vampire protruding from her mouth, skin as white as snow, and her legs…God, what was with her legs? They seemed to be half-donkey on one side and the other was half-robot. Blood dripped down her mouth and onto her chin, and my teacher was lying on the desk, puncture wounds on her neck, and her eyes glazed over looking at the sky.

"Mrs. Lyons!" I yelped, running from my desk to my fallen teacher. I remembered the basic first-aid course I had taken over the summer, and went to feel for a pulse. There was none. I turned back to one of my classmates, Nicole, who like the rest of my class, was frozen in fear as Kelli laughed hysterically.

"Oh, don't worry about that old crone," Kelli said, licking her lips free of my teacher's blood. She walked up to me on her mismatched feet, and traced the side of my face with her hand, which ironically enough had her nails done a bright red color. "Her blood was bitter anyways."

"Call 911!" I screamed, flinching as Kelli grabbed me by the throat, jerking my head violently to the side.

"Now, why'd you have to go and do that?" She flashed me a smile with those vampire teeth of hers, and smoothly said, "Put down your phones, all of you."

It was terrifying. As if my whole class had been possessed, they dropped their phones, and watched me with their eyes glazed over. What the heck? Did they not see this vampire chick who just _killed_ our teacher? Did they think Mrs. Lyons was taking a nap or something?

Kelli circled me, sniffing me like how someone would smell a perfume sample. "You smell just like him," she decided, smirking at what I could only guess was the terrified expression on my face. "Don't fret, dear. I have…special relations with your brother; I wouldn't dare hurt you."

If anything I stiffened under her touch even more. No one knew about my brother, except for my mom and me. I doubted my father even knew he had a son, if Luke and I even had the same father. Wow, I was full of optimistic thoughts.

"I don't have a brother," I argued, slowly backing up from Kelli. Even when she was a human, she was the face of my nightmares. She loved to taunt me for my ADHD and dyslexia, calling me stupid despite that I was in all AICE classes and doing so many extracurriculars, I could've probably graduated by the end of April. She called me fat, which was strange considering how I barely had enough to eat at home. Sure, Mom was always in the kitchen, but come on. I'm not going to eat PB&J, chocolate chip cookies, and Kool-Aid for the rest of the time I still lived with my Mom.

"Of course you do, dear. I'm his girlfriend."

"Even if I had a brother, what would his name be?"

"Stop playing with me, Layla. Your brother's name is Luke Castellan."

My brother was seriously dating a snake lady? What the actual hell? If I ever saw my deadbeat brother again, I was going to have a serious discussion with him in his choice of girlfriends. Or boyfriends if he was into that sort of thing. Not that I really cared; I didn't know enough about Luke to give him the time of day.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, petrified as my back bumped into the white board. And my classmates were about as useful as broken glass; they just sat there as if my imminent death was the most entertaining thing in the world.

"Luke wanted me to fetch you."

I narrowed my eyes, trying to find the well of confidence I usually dipped into when I had to confront Kelli normally. "Fetch is a game for dogs," I said. "Is it a game for donkey's too?"

"Why you little-!"

She never finished that sentence as I grabbed the thick English Literature textbook on Mrs. Lyons' desk and slammed it into Kelli's face, before throwing it violently at her for good measure. I didn't even grab my backpack; I ran out of that classroom like the devil itself was chasing me.

Thankfully my house wasn't too far from the school. I was unnaturally fast, at least, that's what my PE coach says every year when she begs me to try out for the track team. I always have to decline, because track team practice is after school, and after school means I have to go to work.

By the time I got home, I was soaked with sweat and my breaths were coming in ragged spurts. I spent a good ten minutes trying to catch my breath, while going into the kitchen to get some water.

Mom walked out of the parlor, and with the same dazed look in her sky blue eyes she asked, "Luke? Is that you?"

"No, Mom! It's me, Layla," I called out, turning on the tap.

"I could've sworn it was Luke," she mumbled to herself, before rushing back into the room she had just come out of.

She was probably crying over some old photo album with pictures of her _precious_ son Luke, while holding exactly zero pictures of me. To her, it was like I never existed in the first place. Everything was always about Luke, the boy that left Mother, and the boy that left _me_ with her. The only real reason I could ever figure that Luke left was because of Mom's visions, but I waited every day with Mom until the day I turned ten that I realized, Luke was never coming back. I had told Mom that, and she called me crazy, which really stung seeing as it was my tenth birthday.

Yeah, I definitely deserve an optimism award. The only person that could be more optimistic than me is Kelli! Ah, the sweetness of sarcasm will never cease to amaze me.

But the thought of Kelli was a genuine reality check. She was still around here, lurking, waiting to supposedly hand me over to Luke. I honestly thought she had lost it, but seeing her as an insane vampire opened my eyes. Mom always had Greek mythological stuff lying around, especially the caduceus, which I knew was a symbol of Hermes. And I remember Luke had come back last winter, asking about Mom giving him a blessing to bathe in a river of some sorts. The jerk hadn't even spared me a glance, but I saw a weariness in him I only saw with the older people in the café I worked at.

His blonde hair had gone almost white, and streaks of gray were mixed in. Under his right eye was a long, pale scar running the length of his entire cheek. His blue eyes looked kind of like Mom's, in terms of how frantic he was, jumping at the slightest sound. From the pictures around the house, it looked like his skin lost most of his color, making him appear like a corpse. Just seeing him look so hurt almost made me forgive him for forgetting his promise to come back for me. Almost.

Anyways, with all this Greek stuff around, was it possible that it was real?

No, now I'm just paranoid. People are already betting when I'm going to join the loony bin with my mother; I'm not going to give them that satisfaction.

I went up to my room, and pulled out the least ratty backpack I could find. I grabbed a couple shirts and pants, along with some undergarments and my only brush. Then I walked down the hallway and entered into what used to be Luke's room.

Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust, but mythology books were everywhere, and a trunk at the foot of his bed seemed less dusty then everything else. Curiosity getting the best of me, I opened the trunk only to see a gold bracelet with a caduceus charm hanging off it. Was this some kind of joke, Luke? Because if it was, it's not even remotely funny.

Then I found the note. It read:

 _Layla, I am so, so sorry that I haven't been able to honor my promise. My life has been pretty hectic lately, and it's all I can do to keep myself from being killed. Listen, when I came over last winter that will be the last time you will ever see me. Don't go investigating too much into that; I don't want you to tarnish whatever vision you have of me. Although, I have to imagine you don't hold me too highly on a pedestal for leaving you with Mom._

 _You need to know the truth now as you're already older than fourteen if my calculations are right. You're in danger. The Greek gods are real and so are all the monsters. I managed to snag you something that will be able to keep you safe if you ever come across a monster. Pull down on the charm, and you'll be holding a bow in your hands. I have no idea if you like archery or not, so forgive me if you can't even hold a bow to save your life._

 _There's a special place for people like you to go to called Camp Half-Blood. But, there's also a group of people like me, who resent our Olympian parents for neglecting us when we need them the most. I work with Kronos, and I hope we can reshape the world how it should be. If you want to join me, let me know. I promise you, you'll be safe._

 _Take care, Layla!_

 _-Luke Castellan_

I instantly ripped that note to shreds, too angry to really care about what Luke was offering me. To join _him?_ And he had the nerve to give me another _promise!_ Because of him, I never trusted anyone, not even my closest friends. If I needed any other motivation, then that was it. I was going to Camp Half-Blood. And if Luke wanted otherwise, he could go screw off. He was just as absent as whoever my father is.

* * *

Later that night, around two in the morning, I planned to sneak out of the house. I had grabbed several handfuls of energy bars and some of Mom's fresher sandwiches, plus three thermos's full of water. Luke's bracelet felt like an iron shackle around my wrist, but I kept it there anyways. I wasn't going to take any chances if Kelli decided to jump out at me.

I paused by Mom's door, pressing my ear against the whitewashed wood, making sure that she was fully asleep. See, Mom had always had problems with insomnia; she would scream her head off as visions would plague her, and the green smoke would cling to her for hours on end. Most nights, I could hear her mumbling to herself, walking up and down the stairs in hopes of tiring herself out.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, before making my way downstairs. I mentally cursed the house for being so old, as the wooden steps creaked under my feet, making me wince with every groan of the wood. My keys were still on the kitchen countertop, which I quickly swiped up, before turning to my front door.

The knob had just begun to turn, when I heard a tired, "Luke? Is that you?" from the top of the staircase.

I cursed mentally, before slowly turning around to face my haggard mother. "No, Mom, it's still me, Layla."

"Where are you going?"

Great, she had to lapse into saneness _now_ of all times. I bit my bottom lip, trying to think of a good lie. Despite the fact my mother was insane, I couldn't find it in my heart to lie to her, unless it was to protect her. Yes, she was distant, and forgetful, and sometimes downright mean, but she was my only flesh and blood as far as I was concerned.

"I'm going out to Nicole's house," I lied, shouldering my backpack so that my brush (at least, I think it was my brush), wasn't digging into my shoulder blades.

"At this time of night?" Mom demanded, crossing her arms over her pink bathrobe. Her blonde hair was a frizzy mess, but her blue eyes were focused for once instead of looking like pieces of a broken mirror.

"Last minute test we need to study for. It's a geography exam from Mr. Roberts."

She raised an eyebrow at that, and instead of heading back to bed like she would've done normally when I snuck out (mostly for parties, whenever I could go), she went down the stairs until she was grabbing me firmly by the shoulders, forcing me to look at her.

"Layla, I know that look in your eyes," Mom said, gently tilting my head up so that our eyes met, blue-on-blue. "You're going to run, aren't you?"

A lump worked its way into my throat. I couldn't find the right words to say. How do you tell your mentally unstable mother that she was the reason you were running away? Tears stung the corners of my eyes, but I forcefully blinked them back.

"Mom, I'm so, so sorry," I said, my voice cracking at the end. "But I can't stay here. Not when you're waiting for a son that'll never come home, completely forgetting about me."

The look of pain and anguish was so clear on my mother's face that I almost let myself break down in her arms, something I hadn't done ever since I was eight. I closed the distance between the two of us, holding my mother close in a bone-crushing hug. She sobbed into my shoulder, caressing the blonde locks I had inherited from her.

"I'm sorry for not being the mother you needed me to be, Layla," she apologized through her tears.

I let some of my own fall, but not as badly as Mom's. I gave her a small smile. "That's not your fault, Mom. You're hurting; I understand that. When you're better, I promise I'll come home."

Mom started sobbing harder, squeezing me so hard I thought she would crack a rib or two. "Please, stay. Just for the rest of the school year. Then, I'll let you go with no strings attached."

"Mom," I said with sadness tinging my voice. "You know that the visions will come back sooner rather than later. I _can't_ see you fall into that madness again."

"Please!" she begged, and I could almost see the cracks of insanity starting to cloud her eyes once more. "I lost my son! At least stay until you go off to college! _Please!"_ Tears started streaming down her face once more, and if I hadn't been holding her up, Mom would've probably been a heap on the floor.

My heart clenched at the sight. It was already late March, and it couldn't hurt to stick around until August. I mean, I had a bow now. I could defend myself if I needed to, but I would definitely need to learn how to properly use it. Maybe Luke had other weapons stashed in his room that I could use.

"Okay," I finally whispered. "I'll stay until the middle of August. I won't be like Luke, I promise."

I inwardly cringed. Another promise. At least I had promised to not be Luke, meaning I would keep it; I'd stay until August like Mom wanted me to.

"Thank the gods!" Mom sniffed twice, drying her red-rimmed eyes on her bathrobe. The next time I looked into her eyes, the fractures were back, and I knew I had lost her to whatever caused her to turn into a possessed person. She looked at me in confusion. "Luke, why do you look like a girl?"

I sighed, slumping against the wall in defeat. Her small moments of saneness came with a hefty price: her memories. She couldn't remember anything that happened during that time, and it always left a bitter feeling behind. It was like her mind was stuck on replay, but only on thoughts of Luke and the hope that he would come back.

Ushering her off to bed, I began to unpack my backpack, tossing the sandwiches on today's pile with the granola bars and water left on the countertop. I grabbed a broom and began to sweep all of the moldy sandwiches, and cookie crumbs, and spilt Kool-Aid powder from the floor into the garbage. Honestly, I was surprised how all of this mold hadn't gotten either one of us sick yet, but I wasn't one to push luck.

Once everything was clean and back in its proper place, I shut off the lights to the kitchen, heading back to my room. I was so exhausted that I was going to head straight to bed, but when I heard someone else's voice coming from Mom's room, I was immediately on edge.

I gently pulled on the charm on my bracelet, and a gold bow with a matching quiver appeared on my person. I didn't admire the handiwork, though, and remembered the few archery lessons I had shared with one of my friends, Mike, when we had went to a summer camp together as kids. Knocking the arrow, I held my hand at the string, ready to pull back, but I decided to spy at first.

"-just not ready," I heard a male voice finish saying.

"Bring him back!" Mom cried, sounding as if her vocal cords were in the process of being ripped out. As much as I wanted to barrel in there, shooting whomever was breaking my mom's heart with a couple of arrows, something told me to not barge in.

"It's not my decision, May," he said in what I guess was supposed to be a soothing tone. "It's the Fates plan."

"Then the Fates are idiots!"

Mom's protests were cut off abruptly, and I thought the worst was happening, so I barged in, aiming the arrow right between the intruder's eyes. The string was already pulled all the way back, taut as I saw the fletching's begin to quiver from the amount of stress I was putting on the bow.

"Leave my mother alone," I growled.

The man stumbled back, his hands up in surrender. I slackened my hold a little, slowly letting down the arrow as to not shoot. I scowled as I inspected the man making my mom scream.

He was of average height, maybe around 5' 7"-5' 8". He had mousy brown hair, capped with the dorky kind of hats UPS men wore. He was even dressed in that manner with all the getup of a delivery man, down to the obnoxious khaki's dogs loved to nip at. His eyes were blue, and held a glint of mischief to them; I was instantly wary, more so now than earlier. Though he wasn't smiling, I knew if he was it would be a trouble-maker kind, the one that promised trouble.

Mom turned to the man. "Can you tell me why Luke's a girl? What has he gotten into now?"

"May, that's not Luke," the man said cautiously, giving me a nervous glance.

I tugged on the charm once more, and my bow disappeared; but I did take a defensive stance next to my mother, fully prepared to tackle this man should I need to.

"Of course it is!" Mom exclaimed. "Oh, I knew you would come home for lunch!"

"May, this is a girl, not our son."

 _"_ _Son?!"_ I cried in outrage. " _You're_ Luke's father?! Where have you been his entire life?!"

The man visibly winced. "And I take it you're his sister?"

I glared at the man. "He stopped being my brother the day he left me here with _her_ ," I said, venom dripping from my voice as I gestured to my mom, who was holding a stuffed plushy of a hydra.

"You're probably my daughter then." He sighed, taking his cap off to run his hand through his messy hair. "You have every right to be angry at me, but don't take your anger out on May."

"I'll take out my anger on whomever the hell I want, old man!" I snapped. Finding out that this man was my father, the same one that abandoned me as much as Luke had, well, I wasn't taking too kindly to that. "I'll give you five more minutes with Mom, but then I want you _out of this house!"_

"You don't want anything to do with me, do you?"

I laughed bitterly, the sound echoing off the mostly empty bedroom. "Just give me your name." He gave me a skeptic look. "If you're my father, the least you could do is let me know your name."

"My name," he said, "is Hermes, and I'm your father."


	2. Chapter 2

**Before I even say anything, know that this chapter includes conversations directly from TLO! That part of the story belongs to Rick Riordan, not me. Other than that, thank you guys for supporting me so much after only the first chapter! Please enjoy!**

* * *

The next few months blurred together, except for the fact that it seemed like Mom was getting worse-if that was possible at this point-and Hermes decided to drop by more often. I had graduated from my school last month, and surprisingly Hermes had shown up for the last few minutes of the ceremony before disappearing again.

There was something he was hiding about his relationship with Mom, but I didn't pry. Seventeen years of resentment wasn't something a few visits and apologies could easily repair, but I gave Hermes grudging respect anyways. At least he was man (god?) enough to admit his mistakes.

It was already the beginning of August, meaning this was officially the last week I would be living with Mom. She was still oblivious as always, and she hadn't had another sane moment since the day she pleaded for me to stay.

Everything was already planned out: places for me to stay, money, how long my supplies would last, and the guestimate arrival date of when I should reach Camp Half-Blood. Over the summer, I'd practiced with my bow, and now I could hit a target's bullseye from over three-hundred feet away. That took a long time to master, but at least I felt more comfortable with one of the only weapons I could use to fend of monsters with.

Speaking of which, Kelli seemed to disappear off the face of the earth, and the only monsters that have attacked were these chicken ladies that smelled like old people and mothball soup. I took them out in under twenty minutes, which I choose to believe is an accomplishment. And I did eventually go into Luke's room again, finding two bronze daggers that he had left under his mattress. Those daggers were always tucked into my belt, ready for me to throw or defend myself in a moment's notice.

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as the same events as that night I chose to stay unfolded. But again, something had to disrupt my escape.

From outside my window, I saw two people hobbling on our lawn. Great, hobos decided to stake out on our lawn again. Sighing, I was about to go out there and shoo them off, but I noticed what they were leaning against. It was a dog the size of a moving truck, peacefully snoring.

I had seen those kind of dogs before-hellhounds, Hermes told me they were called-while I'd walk home from school when I was younger, but they never really bothered me, so I brushed them off. Thank the gods that they never attacked me before, because if they were that big, I could only imagine how big their teeth were when they decided to rip into someone's body.

I glanced over at my backpack on my desk, before grabbing it and heading downstairs. I had a feeling that the people out there wanted something from us, but probably more from Mom than me, so I patiently waited, fiddling with my concealed bow in case I needed to make some human pincushions tonight.

* * *

Literally ten seconds passed before I heard the gentle chime of our doorbell. Mom ran out of the kitchen, shoved past me, flung the door open, and happily cried, "Luke!" Two boys were waiting at the front door. One had green eyes and messy black hair, while the other had brown/black eyes and black hair as well. Green eyes had an orange shirt on, while black eyes was clad in…well, all black.

Mom hugged black eyes. "Oh, my dear boy!" I was surprised that Mom thought that he was Luke-they looked nothing alike. She then smiled at green eyes. "Luke!" By the look in the boy's eyes, I could tell Mom was strangling him. "Come in! I have your lunch ready!"

I had enough time to move out of the way, before Mom grabbed either boy by their wrist, dragging them all the way into the kitchen. I sighed, quickly following behind, knowing that they were probably already planning on calling the cops. That was a headache I did _not_ need.

The boys looked around the house, staring at all the mirrors and Hermes merchandise Mom had around the house. Green eyes seemed particularly interested in the portrait of Luke we had hanging under the clock with a little Hermes statue on the top. I'm oblivious if it took me this long to realize Hermes was my father.

"This way, my dear!" Mom nudged the boys in the direction of the kitchen. "Oh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!"

Their eyes widened once more when the saw the mountains of sandwiches, and cookies, and all the pitchers of Kool-Aid everywhere. How did Mom make such a mess in a single day? I guess I must've missed something last week. Yes, Mom made such a mess that I couldn't bring myself to clean every day, but instead, once a week.

I wanted to see what the boys wanted with my mom, so I waited outside the kitchen, listening in on the conversation.

Black eyes coughed. "Um, Ms. Castellan?"

"Mm?"

"We need to ask you about your son."

My blood ran cold instantly, but I waited, knowing what Mom would say. "Oh, yes!" she exclaimed happily. "They told me he would never come back. But I knew better." She patted Green eyes, leaving stripes of peanut butter on his face.

"When did you last see him?" Black eyes persisted.

For a moment, she was quiet, but she quickly replied, "He was so young when he left. Third grade. That's too young to run away! He said he'd be back for lunch. And I waited. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and Kool-Aid. He'll be back for lunch very soon…" Then she looked at Green eyes again, smiling. "Why, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes."

I stifled a snort. No, if anything _I_ had Hermes' eyes, not him, or Black eyes for that matter. But who knows? Maybe Green eyes inherited them from his dad. That was enough of my mother's rambling in my opinion, so I stepped in.

"Mom," I said, "the cookies are burning."

"Yes, right!" She turned to the oven, reaching in for the pan.

The boys looked at me in shock, as if not expecting me to be here. I knew that look too well, but I sat at the table across from them.

"Sorry about Mom," I apologized, giving them a small smile. They didn't return the gesture, instead staring at my mom. "She's like that because of some job Hermes offered her. Something happened though, right after Luke was born. I really don't know what."

Green eyes swallowed visibly, glancing at his friend for help. "Your mom can see through the Mist?" Black eyes asked. It looked like he was the verbal one of the two.

"Yeah, I guess. She always mumbles about how the job was supposed to be her destiny. Now, it plagues her with these visions."

"Would you like some cookies?" Mom offered the boys again.

"We're good," I said. She walked off. "I'm the only sane one in this household. So, what can I help you guys with?" Mom was talking with Mrs. Medusa again, and I cringed inwardly. As if they needed more evidence to call her a nutjob.

"Have you seen Luke since he left home?" Green eyes asked.

"Um, yeah, actually." The question took me by surprise, but I was expecting some questions about my brother. "Last winter, he stopped by for a few hours. He looked different from what I last remembered-he looked old and had a new scar on his face-but he was so jumpy."

"His eyes, were they gold?"

I blinked, trying to recall the memory. "No, his eyes were blue."

"Do you know why he was here?" Black eyes asked. I was getting annoyed by having to refer to them by eye color, but oh well.

"He came asking for Mom's blessing," I answered. "Something about bathing in a river. Mom, being how she is, gave him her blessing full heartedly. I haven't seen him since."

Black eyes gave a triumphant look in the direction of his companion. He went to get up from his chair. "Thanks for the information, Ms. Castellan, and uh…"

"Layla," I supplied, reaching my hand out.

He looked at my hand weirdly, but finished thanking the both of us for our cooperation. Then Mom gasped, causing both boys to jump to their feet. I groaned, already knowing where this was heading.

"Brace yourselves," I mumbled, as Mom latched her hands onto Black eyes shoulders.

 _"_ _My child,"_ she rasped in that creepy deep voice of hers. _"Must protect him! Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fate-no!"_ She began shaking the poor boy. " _Not his fate!"_

The boy screamed, pushing Mom away harshly. "Percy, we need to get out-"

Mom suddenly collapsed, and Green eyes, Percy, lurched forward, catching Mom before her head hit the table. I shot him a grateful look, but they both looked haunted by what they had seen.

"Ms. C?" Percy asked, warily eyeing my mother.

She mumbled something I couldn't understand, before shaking her head. "Goodness. I…I dropped the cookies. How silly of me."

The other boy mouthed the word _Leave_ as Percy made sure Mom was alright. Then the two of them hightailed it out of there, Mom and I hot on their trails. I scooped up my backpack, knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to run.

The three of us managed to reach the front porch, when Mom grabbed Percy by the wrist, saying how Hermes would want to see him, and offering all the Kool-Aid he could drink. "Luke, at least be safe," she said, her voice as pleading as it had been when I was in that situation. "Promise me you'll be safe."

"I will…Mom," Percy said in hopes of placating my mother.

She smiled, before running back inside, screaming at the sky, "You hear that? He will be safe. I told you he would be!"

"Hey! Wait up!" I cried, as they were already halfway down our walkway.

* * *

Black eyes gave me a wary look as he bowed to the lady tending the fire. Apparently it was the goddess Hestia, who had taken on the form of an eight-year-old.

"Layla Castellan," Hestia said warmly, giving me a generous smile. "I have heard so much about you."

I smiled back, blushing heavily. "Really, my lady? No one seems to know I exist."

"Well, I do. Now, are you three hungry?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Percy said happily, the fire illuminating his green eyes like orbs.

Now, I wasn't one to check boys out as I never had enough time for that, but I had to admit, Percy was kind of cute. But I couldn't imagine myself dating anyone for a while, especially when I had such a hard time creating new bonds with people. I was still learning to trust.

Hestia gave us each a plate full of food, and as I was about to dig in, I saw Percy and the other boy toss a part of their meal into the fire. Right, sacrifices. I tossed in a good portion of my ribs in the name of Hermes, causing for the three to look at me weirdly. I shifted uncomfortably on the ground, averting my gaze as I bit into my food.

"Why'd you pray to Hermes?" Black eyes asked, looking up for the first time since we had been served.

"Uh, he's my dad," I said slowly.

Percy looked up so fast I thought he was going to get whiplash. "Wait, so you're telling me that you're Luke's full-blooded sister?"

I shrugged. "We have the same parents, yeah, but I don't see him as a brother. He ran when I was six, promising to come back for me. Nine years later, and I'm still dealing with my psycho mom."

"He never told anyone about you at camp, then."

The word camp made me perk up. "You guys are from Camp Half-Blood?"

The boys glanced at each other, then at Hestia, who gave a subtle nod of her head. For the first time, I noticed how Hestia was dressed. Her brown hair tumbled out of her brown shawl, and she was simply clothed. In all the books and movies I've ever seen, I'd gotten the image that goddesses loved to dress up like princesses (other than the warrior goddesses such as Artemis and Athena). But Hestia seemed pretty down to earth, and for that, I felt slightly grateful. She gave the feeling of how a mother should be like, instead of having one talking to miniature Nemean Lions in the meantime.

"Yes, we are," Black eyes said. "Well, Percy is anyways."

"Nico, you know you could come to camp," Percy protested, but Nico just held up his hand, stopping the conversation from progressing.

"Percy will answer all of your questions later," Nico said, causing for Percy to pout at being put on newbie duty, "but right now we need to talk with Hestia about some stuff."

"Of course. I'm sorry."

As the trio began talking, I fiddled around with my bracelet, trying to keep myself occupied while not being disruptive. Sometimes I wish ADHD was a person so I could punch them in the face, hard. I picked up on some things they were talking about like my mom's past, talking about getting the same power as Luke, and then the flames roared to thirty feet high. I shrieked, thinking that they had done something to upset Hestia, but the fire died down as soon as it had jumped. I gave a nervous laugh as six eyes glanced at me, and Hestia began talking about yielding.

"I have to stop Luke…I mean Kronos," Percy said.

What? Oh for the sake of everything holy, please tell me that Luke didn't go and trade his soul to Kronos. I mean, he had told me about working for Kronos in his letter, but Percy's little slip-up made me start to question just how far Luke was willing to take things.

"Very well," Hestia said, nodding in what appeared to be understanding. I cannot be of much assistance, beyond what I already told you. But since you sacrificed to me, I can return you to your own hearth. I will see you again, Percy, on Olympus."

The goddess waved her hand, and everything went black.

* * *

The next thing I know, I'm getting crushed by the huge hellhound and inside of some apartment gods know where. Someone screamed something about a wall of fur, and what I guessed to be Percy's mother asked if it was him. After a few minutes of adjusting the hellhound in the apartment, destroying furniture in the process, we managed to make things work.

In the kitchen, I sat awkwardly on a barstool as Percy spoke to his parents about his plan, and Nico explaining how everything was going to work out. I heard the word "Styx" get thrown about a few times, and I started racking my brain through the myths I knew.

I knew if you swore on the Styx, you had to honor that oath, for breaking it was a punishment worse than death. But with all this talk about blessings, I somehow knew it wasn't just that I needed to know. The only myth I could think of involving the Styx was with Achilles, and how his mother dipped him in the Styx, making him invulnerable except for a small part of his heel where she had held him while he was in the river. Is that what Luke had wanted Mom's blessing for? Probably, and now it looked like Percy was going to follow in Achilles and Luke's footsteps.

After everything was set, and Percy's mom, Sally, had given Percy her blessing, Nico stood up telling him it was time to go. They agreed on a blue sign to show that Percy was still alive, and that they wouldn't repeat what happened to Theseus.

"Wait," Sally said as Percy mounted his hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary. "What about her?" She pointed at me, and I blushed, not used to so much attention. Hearing the banter between Percy and Sally made me feel slightly envious. I would've loved to have a parent like Sally, always there for me, instead of me having to be the provider of the family.

Percy winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right, Layla." He turned to Nico. "This has to be done tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Tonight's our only chance," Nico confirmed.

"Don't worry about me," I said, giving them what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'll just pray to Hermes; ask him to lead me to camp, you know? Luke's his favorite son, so maybe I'm his favorite daughter."

"Are you sure?" Percy asked, sounding uneasy about it.

"Go do your hero thing." From what I had heard in the past few hours, I could tell that Percy had been through some pretty tough things before, and if the fate of the world was truly at stake, I didn't want to deter him from that with my problems. He gave me another skeptical look. "Go," I said once more, and the three of them disappeared in a puddle of shadows.

Sally and Paul, Percy's stepfather, were holding a conversation in hushed tones, glancing up at me every once in a while. I took one more sip of my lemonade, setting the glass carefully down on the kitchen's island, before sliding out of my seat.

"Thanks for the hospitality," I said just loud enough for them to hear me. I started for the door, when I heard Sally say, "Wait there just a moment, young lady. Come here for a second."

I turned around, giving Sally a questioning look. Why was she stopping me from leaving? Shouldn't she be glad that a burden like me was leaving? I know Mom wouldn't care; she probably hasn't even realized that I ran.

"Yes?" I asked cautiously, finding my sneakers extremely interesting at that moment.

"Layla is it?" Sally asked, to which I nodded. "There's something about you that reminds me of me when I was your age."

"Really?" The interest in my voice wasn't forced nor was it hidden-it was clearly there, showing how surprised I was. Sally seemed like the sweetest person on the planet, who probably grew up with loving parents that supported her every endeavor.

"My parents died when I was five, and I was sent to live with my uncle who didn't care about me. Then he got cancer, forcing me to drop out of high school. A few years later I met Poseidon, and we had our son, whom I had to raise while taking night classes, countless jobs, and being married to an abusive husband," Sally told me.

For some reason, I found myself opening up to Sally, who was a complete stranger to me up until a few minutes ago. I told her about how I juggled school and my jobs and taking care of my mother, all while dealing with the added stress of bullying and growing up with absent parents and a brother that didn't keep his promise. I told her about the time I first met Hermes, and the last time my mother was sane. She hugged me like I was her daughter, instead of some person that just happened to meet her son.

"Stay the night with us, okay?" Sally said, giving me a smile that looked exactly like Hestia's. "I'll drive you to camp tomorrow. Gods knows they could use another archer at their side."

I beamed at that, but stopped when a thought caught me. "Wait, Sally, you said Luke tried to kill Percy and betrayed the gods?"

She pursed her lips together, and Paul, seeing as he wasn't really saying anything, kissed Sally on the cheek before heading back to bed. "Yeah. For the past four years, Luke's been trying to take the gods down by resurrecting-"

"Kronos, yeah, I heard."

Sally stiffened. "Don't throw names like that around, Layla; names have power."

I blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't know. But back to my original question-if I go to camp, which means I side with the gods, does that mean I'll have to fight my brother?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But don't worry about that now. I'll show you where Percy's room is; I doubt he'll be coming home tonight anyways."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "And you're not concerned about that?"

Tears were visible in her blue eyes, the kind of blue eyes that matched the ocean, which she blinked back. "Oh, I lose hours of sleep thinking that one day something will kill Percy, and I'll be one of the last people to know. During the summer he stays at camp, though, and that's a safe place for demigods where you're not ridiculed by other mortals, and monsters can't get through the barriers."

"Sounds like fun."

Sally chuckled at the sarcasm in my voice. "You'll probably become good friends with Percy if this is how you normally act. The bathroom's right through there"-she pointed at a door in the room-"and if you need clothes, let me know."

I tapped my backpack strap. "I came prepared, Sally, but thank you anyways."

"No problem."

* * *

I usually don't ever remember my dreams, but this one was painfully vivid. I had no idea if this was something that took place in the past, or if it was in the present or future, but either way, it wasn't good.

There was a boat in the water with the mascot being the body of a mermaid, but the face was contorted with fear, screaming at some unseen monster. On the upper deck of the cruise ship, there was a boy holding some kind of sword, swinging it back and forth carelessly, causing for some of the closest people to jump back. He looked suspiciously like Luke, and I couldn't help but feel something wasn't right.

I felt a strong sensation of vertigo for two seconds, before appearing right next to the blonde boy with the sword. Resentment, hatred, fury, and a bunch of other emotions meaning anger started to churn in my stomach as I realized that it _was_ Luke holding that sword. I could've sworn he looked straight through me, turning my legs to Jell-O as I realized that his eyes weren't the same blue ones I saw in the mirror every day, they were molten gold.

With a wave of his hand, Luke cleared a circle in the midst of all the pandemonium so that it was just the two of us. As much as I wanted to punch him hard enough to break his nose, it was a miracle that I was still at all. I could hear my pulse pounding through my ears, and I took a cautious step back. If it had been the Luke I saw in the pictures at home, I might've been less scared, but this Luke was scarred, and sneering at me with a cruel smile, and holding a sword while my bow and daggers were still concealed.

When he spoke, it was even worse. "You look just like him," Kronos said, his voice sounding like knives being sharpened, sending chills up my spine. "Just a few years younger."

"T-thank you?" I stammered out, but it sounded more like a question.

His laugh was worse. Now it sounded like a chainsaw going against a buzz saw while both were on. I cringed, clapping my hands over my ears. This was scaring the living daylights out of me, as the scariest situation I had ever been in before was when Kelli killed my teacher. That seemed harmless compared to standing before the Titan king, which in a way, it was.

Luke-Kronos-I don't know anymore, the guy inside Luke's head smirked at me. I felt like I was being violated, my brother giving me what appeared to be a seductive smirk. Ugh, incest is so wrong! Then again, weren't most of the gods created because they had an affair with their siblings and aunts and uncles and cousins? As if I needed another reason to think my life was messed up.

"Luke never told me he had a sister," Kronos said, amusement clear in his voice.

"I was never aware Luke was my brother," I snapped back.

"You mean to tell me you disowned him? That he is no longer your brother, no longer your flesh and blood?"

"My only flesh and blood family is my mother. I could care less what happened to either one of the 'men' in my family." I used air quotes around the word men. As far as I was concerned, there were only two people in my family, both of which were girls: Mom, and me.

"Really?" Kronos scoffed. "Yet, you wear the bracelet he gave you. Peculiar choice indeed."

"I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to save my skin. His empousai girlfriend already terrorized the school, and if she wanted to get a taste of my blood, I'd sooner put an arrow between her eyes."

"Ah, Kelli, yes. I assure you, dear, she won't be harming you anymore." Kronos then proceeded to circle me like I was a slave at an auction, as if he was looking if I had any flaws. Unless you count my scarred hands from how much I abused them, I was pretty much the stereotypical blonde girl: blonde wavy hair that reached just past my shoulders, sky blue eyes, the smile that caused everyone to smile, and even a nice tan.

His lips brushed by my ear, causing for me to flinch violently. I was liking this encounter less and less, though it wasn't like I wanted to be here in the first place. I jerked my head away, taking a few steps away from the pedophilic Titan.

"What do you want with me?"

"There's so much I want," he said in a sultry voice, making me want to squirm. No incest! "But this meeting was just to make sure the rumors were true. I'll be watching you, young Castellan. Who knows? Maybe you'll turn out just like Luke and be here next to me."

Mentally, I gagged, picturing kicking him in the soft spot causing him to sing soprano for a week. But Luke had gotten himself the Curse of Achilles; he couldn't be hurt by anything anymore, unless it was his mortal point.

"One question before I go," I said, trying to take full advantage of this. He seemed so enamored by me that there was a very good chance I might get an answer.

"Shoot," Kronos said. "Anything that's not too personal."

"What did you see in the Styx?"

Kronos blinked twice, shaking his head as if he had misheard me. Luke's face contorted into a scowl, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt, making my face mere millimeters from his. I could feel Kronos' hot breath on my face, making me want to gag even more.

"What did you say?" he demanded. _"What did you say?!"_

"What did you see in the Styx?" I asked again, my voice surprisingly steady, because internally, I was quaking so hard that I could feel my teeth grinding together in fear.

"How did you know about that?"

"Word gets around in the demigod world," I said cheekily. He growled at me, but I _needed_ to know what ground Luke to the mortal world; it would be invaluable knowledge. Cursing myself for even thinking about using this mechanism, I did it anyways. I pushed back against Kronos, and I soon found myself kissing a Titan who wore the face of my brother.

Kronos was shocked to say the least, seizing up, but he soon relaxed, biting at my lip for entrance. I reluctantly let him in, not even trying to dominate the kiss, but I soon pulled back, the need for oxygen finally winning. Thank the gods for mortals needing to breathe!

It took all of my willpower to not run to the nearest bathroom to wash out my mouth with soap, but I kept playing it cool, like I had really enjoyed myself. I _so_ deserve an Oscar for this performance.

"I see it does," Kronos said, responding to my previous comment. He glanced back and forth, before pressing his lips right beside my ear. "Annabeth, Thalia, and you." He pulled me into another heated kiss, making it look like he hadn't said anything, but I had him right where I wanted.

I broke the kiss, resting my forehead against his. "Kronos, can I go back now? Please?"

"Of course. I expect you to come back soon, Layla."

Again, I felt violated, but played it off with a small smile. "Okay. Night."

* * *

The vision of the boat disappeared, and I jerked up, fully awake in an unfamiliar room, fighting the urge to scream my lungs out of my chest. It took me a moment to realize that I was still in Sally Jackson's apartment, not on some boat in the middle of the ocean, safe and sound. Well, as safe and sound a demigod could ever be.

I went into the bathroom, rinsing my mouth with mouthwash at least ten times before staring at my reflection. Kronos had said I looked exactly like Luke, and I could see the resemblance. If my hair was shorter, my cheekbones broader, and if I had a scar on my face, I could've been mistaken for Luke (minus my body shape).

I didn't go back to sleep, for fear that Kronos would try to invade my dreams again. Instead, I turned on the bedside lamp, pulled out a Greek mythology book from my backpack, and read until the sun came up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update! School has been such a pain, and I kid you not, I finally had a free weekend for the first time since school started almost a month and a half ago. Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep saying this? Rick Riordan owns everything except Layla!**

* * *

I had all the right to be jumpy the next day, flinching at even the most mundane of noises such as Sally placing dishes in the sink, to Paul ruffling the morning's paper as he took a sip from his coffee. They didn't bring my obvious fright-thank the gods-but I caught them giving me concerned looks from time to time. Yet, the simple scene before me made me long for having a family like this: one with sane parents (both of them), having my still human brother, and able to actually act my age for once instead of a grown adult. At least I would acclimatize to being an adult easier than some of my peers.

The drive to camp was relatively quiet, with Sally keeping up the amiable conversation, not once pushing by the limits I didn't even know I had set for myself when I was talking to people. I had opened up to her last night, but that didn't mean I wanted to tell her some of my greater fears. Especially not after what I saw had given me some clarity…

No, I would _not_ delve into that memory now. That was me at one of my worst points in my miserable existence, and I wished that like all older memories that it would fade from my mind. But luck was never on my side, as I had learned through the years. I mean, what are the chances of being born to an insane woman from the same god who sent her tumbling into insanity head first after a brother had been born?

I was about to cross over the threshold of camp, when Sally called my name. I gave her a confused glance, nervously rubbing my hand over my bracelet. I cursed myself for finding comfort in the damned bracelet when it had been given to me by my practically nonexistent brother.

"Yes, ma'am?"

Sally gave me a pointed look, as if she was getting tired of correcting me. "I understand you come from a painful past," she began, and inwardly, my mental walls were already going up. "And if for some reason you can't find anyone to trust here-which I highly doubt-I want you to know that I'm always up to talk, even at two in the morning."

I couldn't help but smile, once again longing for a mother like that. She cared so much for a girl she had just met-a rarity amongst people in general. Most people would've sent me out of the house the second that their child left, or even sooner.

"Thanks, Sally…For everything."

Her blue eyes lit up in happiness. "It was a pleasure to meet you." Then her face took on an unusually somber look. "But I need you to promise me one thing: Watch out for your brother. He's tried to kill my son and his friends more times than I can count, or that I've been told."

I pursed my lips, trying to rip my hand away from the bracelet once more. "I have a grudge against Luke anyways, Sally. It might be fun to knock him around son."

"Just…be careful, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mom." Instantly, I clamped a hand over my mouth, eyes widening to comedic sizes. My face burned in embarrassment, and I could imagine being as red as the shirt I was wearing. "Oh gods…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I turned on my heel, running across the camp's borders, ignoring Sally's cries telling me to come back. My ponytail lashed my cheeks violently, allowing for hair to enter my mouth easily. I had no idea where I was going, until I felt myself colliding with another body.

Scrambling to me feet, I looked at the person I had just ran into. He had a mop of blonde hair and sky blue eyes. It was then that I noticed he was scrounging up the arrows I had knocked out of his quiver. I quickly bent over, careful to not break the shafts of the arrows, seeing as they were made of wood, unlike the plastic shafts I had grown accustomed to.

"Hey!" the boy cried indignantly as I placed the few arrows I had picked up into his quiver. Quickly realizing the look on my face, he amended, saying, "I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Nah, it's my fault," I said. "Said something I shouldn't have."

"Like what?"

"…Mom?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What's so bad about calling your mom 'Mom'?"

"Don't ask," I growled out. I bit my lip, lowering my gaze to the ground. "Sorry, again."

"Newbie, huh?" The boy began to grin, sticking his hand out to shake. I timidly returned the gesture, surprised at how firm he gripped my hand. "I'm Will Solace."

"Layla Castellan."

He recoiled from me as if I had a disease, glancing down at his hand like he was expecting for it to be gone, like I had amputated it from his arm from something. Will's ears burned red and disbelief shone in his eyes. I couldn't believe this boy, who was around twelve or thirteen by the way, showed so much emotion.

"I-I've got to go," Will stammered out, grabbing the strap of his quiver and clutching his bow to his chest, before running as fast as his legs would take him.

I tried to brush off the fact that he looked at me like I was just as bad as the monsters that tried to kill demigods on a daily basis, but it stung either way. I was used to getting teased at and being called a freak back in school, but I thought I would be accepted in a place full of people like me-people with stories like mine…I guess not. In the back of my mind, I tried to reason that my brother had probably screwed up any chance of me having any decent friends here.

Sighing at Luke's stupidity, I hefted my backpack once more, making my way over to another group of demigods nearby. This time, I wouldn't say my last name, though. Will would probably blab about Luke's sister being at camp, and I really did not need any more resentment in my life.

Sally said I'd make friends. Hopefully, that's true.

* * *

At dinner, glares continued to be shot at me like daggers, which wouldn't surprise me seeing as many of the older campers clutched onto their knives, and those that fought with daggers clutched onto those, too.

I was right; Will had opened his big mouth, and now everyone was convinced I was working with Kronos, just as corrupted as Luke was. Gritting my teeth, I ate my dinner quietly, ignoring the glare of my siblings. Yes, I had been claimed earlier during the tour of camp. But the second my surname was mentioned, suddenly I had become a curse.

"Campers!" Chiron announced, stomping his hooves for our attention. Everyone mercifully stopped looking at me. "I've gotten word from Percy that he needs our help. Everyone to the vans immediately."

The campers all armed themselves, before breaking out into a jog towards two vans on the edge of the borders. One table, though, sat stubbornly, glaring at everyone that left to fight. I had learned of the falling out between the Ares and Apollo cabins, so now the kids from the god of war wouldn't help fight in a war that could mean the ending of the world as we know it. Great.

I grabbed four more daggers, putting them behind the breastplate of my armor, while my two that I had found in Luke's room sat snuggly around my waist. My bow-turned bracelet was tightly clasped onto my wrist, only loose enough so that blood was still flowing to my hand. The truth hit me hard: we were going to war. I only had the training from my time at home to rely on, nothing else.

In the bus, I sat all the way in the back, watching the huge buildings and skyscrapers pass by as I looked out the window. The sun was setting over the horizon, and I was so lost in my own thoughts and worries that I nearly had a heart attack when someone touched my shoulder.

Whirling around, I looked at the girl who had touched me, only to see her looking at me appraisingly with steely gray eyes, her face scowling down at me. I felt myself blush at the unnecessary attention, looking out of the window to avoid her piercing gaze.

"Yes?" I asked timidly, once again finding myself rubbing my bracelet in hopes for comfort. "Did I do something wrong?"

She sighed, running a hand through her curly blonde hair. "No, not you. It's just…"

"I look like Luke? Yeah, so I've heard."

She flinched back, bumping into the person behind her. The van we were in had at least twenty kids shoved in, when in reality it probably wasn't made for more than eleven or twelve. I guess I was lucky enough to have enough wiggle room to myself, but it was more because of my family relations than anything else.

"I'm sorry for judging," she apologized, scooching in between the person closest to me. "I just have a lot of bad memories with him."

"None good?" I asked, shocked. "Great, he couldn't even be a decent person away from home."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, not like that! When I was on the run, I met him and Thalia-a daughter of Zeus-and he kept me safe until we got to camp a few months later."

I couldn't help but feel extremely bitter. Here was a girl who looked around my age, claiming that she had traveled parts of the U.S. with Luke as the best of friends, while I was left home, tending for an insane and neglectful mother.

"What's your name?" I grudgingly asked, not looking back at her.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

Scoffing, I shut my eyes, resting my forehead against the cool glass. She wasn't even a daughter of Hermes, yet I could tell she saw Luke more as a brother than I did, and I was his blood-related sister. If I hadn't made it official, let me do so now: I HATE MY LIFE!

"You should know what's happening with Luke."

"I already know," I snapped back. "He's a traitorous bastard who is now possessed by an evil Titan overload. And now it's the end of the world."

Annabeth stayed silent, letting me know that I was right. She was quiet for a few more seconds, before asking, "Do you think you can face him?"

"It's not like I have a choice, Chase. If it'll keep people safe, I'll do what I have to."

She flinched again, tears welling in her eyes. "You even sound like him!" Annabeth pulled out her dagger, looking down at it forlornly, before quickly sliding it back into its sheath. "You sound just like him…"

I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed silent the rest of the ride.

* * *

An hour later, and the forty of us were heading up the elevators to Olympus. Chiron had held a conversation with Percy about the difference over who was the leader of the group, and that he was going to get some help from allies. I actually felt sort of bad when Percy spoke to the security guard, scaring him with the threat of monsters.

"Stayin' Alive" was playing on the way up, and I couldn't help but hum along to the old song, seeing as those were the kinds of records Mom had at home. Some demigods looked at me weirdly, others had a horrific look on their face, as if imagining someone dancing to the song. I guess I would be horrified if I knew who they thought would dance to this.

The doors slid open less than a minute later, leaving me gaping at the view of Olympus. Mansions glittered gold and white everywhere on top of the mountains. Gardens were everywhere, blooming with flowers that should've died in the spring a few months ago and other flowers that flourished in the summer. Flaming braziers lined the long, winding streets, smoke gently rising up in the air. Off at the end of the main road was a huge golden palace, most likely the main temple or throne rooms of the gods.

But there was something fundamentally wrong. I had never been to Olympus before, but I've read stories where Olympus was always full of people, revelries and gatherings everywhere to bask in the glory of the Olympians.

There wasn't a single soul in sight.

Annabeth walked up to the front of the group, said something to Percy that I couldn't hear, and on a silent command, we all walked across the sky bridge connecting Olympus to the Empire State Building. I made the mistake of peeking over the side, immediately resulting in a wave of vertigo and dizziness. We were so high up…I didn't want to think about what would happen if someone was to fall from this height.

Creepy statues of the gods glowered down at us from their marble pedestals, and I fought the urge to cringe inwardly. We continued towards the throne room, when a blonde boy gasped, asking, "What is _that?"_

Looking up, I saw blue lights beaming in the sky. This was all slowly becoming too much for me. I understood that the mythological world existed, and that I was a part of it, but seeing blue laser beams in the sky was one of the things pushing me on edge even more.

Later we met up with Hestia again, and Percy stared into her eyes for a few seconds, before blinking twice, asking if anyone else had seen it. Annabeth looked at him like he was losing it. But Percy met my gaze levelly, looking at me with pity.

Hestia had said something back at my place about Percy having to understand Luke's past to be able to defeat him. I was a part of Luke's past, and as much as I loathed the idea, he probably saw me as a child, frightened as I would watch Mom go into her episodes.

Then Hermes flashed in, letting the goddess of the hearth to vanish. Percy bowed awkwardly. "Lord Hermes."

I pushed forward, ignoring the dirty looks I was receiving. "You!" I roared, causing for people to look at me like I had a death wish. "You decide to show up _now_ of all times?!"

Hermes glared at me, unflinchingly standing straight, holding his caduceus while his snakes, George and Martha, slithered around the pole. "Not now, Layla," he said sternly, as if daring me to speak again.

And I dared.

"I get you started showing up again, but all of this could've been prevented if you tried harder!"

"You don't think I _tried?"_

"Of course not! You're a god; you'll move on just like every blasted immortal does!"

"You understand _nothing_ of what I did!" he hissed out, his symbol of power starting to glow dangerously.

"Uh, Layla, you might want to stop," suggested Percy quietly, tugging on my arm gently.

"Let go!" I spat venomously, nearly hitting him until I realized that he had the Curse of Achilles. _I'd_ be the one hurt, not him. I whirled around to face Hermes, still feeling my face red with anger. "All you had to do was get us away from _her!_ That was all we wanted!"

"Don't speak of your mother that way."

"Like what?" I laughed hysterically for a few seconds, eliciting worried looks. "Like she's insane? Because she _is._ As much as you want to deny that, you _know_ it's the truth."

"LAYLA, ENOUGH!"

"I HATE YOU!" I shouted back, shoving past the forty demigods, all of which gave me looks of shock and disbelief.

I wasn't strong enough to face my past demons, including Hermes. If I couldn't face my own father, I wasn't nearly strong enough to face the monster inhabiting Luke. Tears vehemently streamed down my face as I ran through the desolated Olympus, punching the button to the elevator so hard, I thought I'd break the elevator.

Watching the numbers go from 600 to 1 in a few seconds was more than enough time for me to become a mess. The doors slid open much too slowly for my liking, and the security guard was greatly startled when he heard my cries. He even spilled his coffee all over his pants.

I ran onto the street, my vision so blurry that I didn't notice the lack of noise until I managed to muffle my sobs. People were strewn everywhere, curled up into the fetal position while peacefully sleeping. What happened? Wasn't New York City supposed to be the City that never Sleeps?

It took me a while, but I managed to get most of the strollers and bikes that had been rolling away in a safe place. I had started to move mortals out of the road, a few tears still tracing down my cheeks as I got a jogger lady out from in front of a car.

A good thirty minutes later, the group of demigods came out of the Empire State Building. They started talking with the hundred-eyed man that looked kind of like a surfer, minus the fact he had blue eyes _everywhere._

I ignored them, doing my own things with the mortals, like I had done growing up. No one noticed me, and I was once again forgotten. Bitterness swirled within me like a raging hurricane, yet no one even seemed to give a damn that I had called out an Olympian and broke down crying afterwards.

A good five blocks of mortals had been moved by me, and by then my arms were so sore, it would be a miracle if I could fight at this point. Statues began jumping up from their pedestals, before going off to activate their statue buddies. I had no idea that was even possible, but I guess anything is in the realm of possibilities when all the ancient entities of the past existed.

My ADHD beginning to settle in, I grabbed an electric scooter and began riding around the emptied streets. I was on my way to the Lincoln Tunnel when a silver arrow nearly caught me in the arm. I flung myself off the scooter, cursing as my palms got scratched up. Thankfully, my armor kept my knees from being painfully cut up.

By the time I was aware of the group of girls that had shot at me, my own bow was already out, an arrow knocked, aimed at the direction. I knew I wouldn't miss, seeing as I could hit the inner rings of a target from over two-hundred feet away back home, and they couldn't have been over sixty feet away.

"Kronos!" one of the girls shouted. "Surrender yourself now, and you will be given a fair punishment!"

I internally scoffed, knowing that would be anything but the truth. A girl wearing a _Death to_ _Barbie_ t-shirt and a glittering silver circlet adorning her head like a tiara. She looked like some kind of punk princess to me, but I wouldn't dare say a thing, because there were at least thirty girls that seemed to stop aging over fifteen.

"That's not Kronos, Desiree," the girl said. "Luke, is that you?"

I swore loudly. "Would people _please_ stop calling me Luke?! I don't see you calling every person with black hair and eyes Nico!"

Her eyes narrowed at me. "You know Nico di Angelo?"

I took my arrow from the string, placing it carefully back in my quiver before walking up to the girl. "I met him briefly, but that's about it as interactions go. Who are you?"

She smirked, and I noticed her startlingly electric blue eyes. I had no idea who her godly parent might've been, until I noticed the sparks jumping between her fingertips. She must've been a daughter of Zeus.

"I can ask you the same thing."

I smiled. "It's always a good thing to be cautious. Okay, I'll bite. My name is Layla."

"I'm Thalia."

"No surnames for either of us, huh?" I asked, giving a small smile.

Her expression darkened for a moment, and I thought I had gone too far. From what I've gathered in the day and a half (I counted my experience with Percy and Nico half a day), demigods didn't have the happiest childhoods; and it looked like Thalia was no exception.

"No," she admitted. "I don't want anything tying me to my mother."

"I have the same problem, except I also have a psycho brother."

She snorted. "Who is it? They can't be _that_ bad."

I chewed my bottom lip for a moment, scared of what Thalia's reaction would be. She seemed like such a cool, badass girl that couldn't take crap from anyone, something I wished I could've been like. People already ostracized me enough as it was, and they had only known me for a single day!

"Um…Luke Castellan," I mumbled under my breath. "He's my brother."

The few girls nearby looked at me in shock, and a few in disgust, but Thalia looked extremely pained. She examined my closely, making me want to shift uncomfortably; I managed to stand still, though. Woo! Kudos to me for calming my nerves.

Thalia glanced over her shoulder. "Phoebe, Clare, go set up some more Greek fire traps! The moment a monster appears, we're going to send their sorry butts back to Tartarus!" The girls all cheered profusely, leaving me confused. "Well, Layla, since you're here, you might as well help us out. How good are you with your bow?"

"I can hit the inner ring from two-hundred feet away."

A girl nearby whistled. "Impressive. You sure you're a child of Hermes and not Apollo?"

"Unfortunately so," I said through gritted teeth. "But I'm sure I can be of _some_ use."

"That's good to hear," the auburn haired girl, Phoebe, said as she ran back. "Because the army is here, and they have a freaking tank."


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: Mentions of murder and suicide in this chapter, so if this is triggering, please read at your own risk! Also, parts of this chapter come directly from** ** _TLO,_** **which belongs to Rick Riordan. Enjoy!**

* * *

My first thought was: _Oh, crap._ To me, the biggest gathering of monsters I had ever seen was maybe ten harpies circling my house. This army had at least a hundred monsters easily, and…was that a Sherman tank? They had a freaking tank?! As if we needed something with a metal exterior along with the other monstrosities to attack us.

"You okay, newbie?" Thalia asked, giving me a devious smirk.

I swallowed a lump in the back of my throat, before taking a few deep breaths to calm my erratic heartbeat. "I'm fine. Let's get started with some butt-kicking."

She grinned even wider at that. "You heard the girl, fire at will!"

I drowned out the noise of the oncoming army, completely focused on taking down as many as possible. The girls apparently also had hunting wolves and falcons, because I caught sight of balls of fur and feather leaping in headfirst to the fray.

Nocking an arrow, I pulled back on my bow, aiming for the cyclops driving the tank. Sure, there was probably an inch or two wall of glass in my way, but my bow was something special. Hermes-back before I had screamed at him-had enchanted my bow and quiver as a graduation present, meaning I would never run out of arrows, and that my shots would be more powerful than your average bow.

My right arm pulled back, my fingers anchoring to the side of my face like I had practiced. I took in a deep breath, adjusting my aim one more time, before releasing my arrow. The bronze-tipped projectile shattered through the glass, catching the cyclops in its sole eye. The tank began to swerve, effectively blockading one of the three entrances. Monsters that had been following the war machine began spewing curse words as they climbed over the metal, making them easy pickings.

A hellhound the size of a small plane roared in my direction, before bounding over in my direction. I began putting some distance between the glorified dog, shooting its muzzle with at least eight or nine arrows, but with a monster this size, I'd have to either hit something vital or make it a pincushion.

I cursed as it melted into the shadows, appearing not too far behind me. I ducked as it leaped over me, and I could feel-and smell for that matter-its hot, stinky breath that made me wish for a giant toothbrush. The hellhound's tail whipped out at me, slamming into my chest, sending me flying into the walls leading into the tunnel.

My chest erupted in pain, but I bit the inside of my cheek, rising to my feet while grabbing my two daggers from my belt. I slashed out at what I could only describe as a snake-lady, amputating her left forearm and opening a major gash on her stomach. When the hellhound jumped at me, I painfully dove under its stomach, before hastily getting to my feet, shoving both daggers hilt-deep into the hound's flank. It howled in pain before melting into a puddle of shadows.

I spared a quick glance at myself, glad that the worst injury I had sustained was being flattened against a wall. The fight was pretty evenly matched: silver arrows came by the hundreds, disintegrating monsters with every shot, but the monsters would duck under their bronze shields, before marching forward, forcing the other girls into melee combat. If only I could get them from behind…

I shot another arrow at a flying harpy that had tried to rip me to shreds, wincing as I moved to grab another arrow. She had scratched my bicep, and now four parallel lines were oozing blood to the open air. I didn't fret too much about the injury; I wasn't in any danger of dying or in much pain, so I'd suck it up and fight back.

Again, I was thinking that if I could attack from behind, hitting some of the troops from their unprotected side, I could wreak havoc. I surveyed my area quickly, ignoring the broken bodies I saw strewn on the road and the golden dust everywhere. The walls were made of rocks, I realized. And I knew how to rock climb.

Running towards the back of the group of girls, I shouldered my bow so that the recurve was on my back and the string pressing against my side, before grabbing a good foothold to begin my ascent. I climbed as fast as my arms and legs would allow, seeing as the longer I was on the wall, the more vulnerable I was to receive fire from the enemies' archers and the better chance I had to fall to my death. There was no one belaying me, no rope keeping me secure; if I fell, I would die without a doubt.

About three agonizing minutes later, I hauled myself over the ledge, giving myself about a minute for feeling to return to my arms and legs, which seemed to have turned to Jell-O in the few minutes it took me to scale the side of the rock wall. I made sure to keep my head low as I walked up the slanted part of the tunnel, before taking position at the top of the entrance. Thankfully for me, there was a bunch of posters depicting pictures of people and abstract art a good ten feet taller than me. I'd be able to shoot without having to worry about fire being returned.

Again, I nocked an arrow, taking out the biggest or most armed monsters I could see from this high up. Monsters towards the back of the group started to disintegrate, and no one noticed a thing. I would catch glimpses of the girls clad in silver (I had no clue if they called themselves something), holding their own in the horde of monsters determined to invade Manhattan. Depending on how desperate the situation looked, I'd shoot at the monster, either killing them instantly, or distracting them enough for the girls' to end the fight.

I couldn't help but grin as monsters continued to drop like flies. Still, no one had noticed where I was. For the first time I could remember, it felt wonderful to be forgotten. It was like I had never existed at the beginning of the fight, so they weren't expecting me at all. Everything was going according to plan, until I felt something burning cut into my shoulder.

I whirled around, my uninjured arm gripping one of my daggers so hard that my knuckles were white. One demigod-or I guessed it was a demigod-was holding a bloodied dagger, grinning triumphantly. He tossed off his helm, taking a look at me.

My grip on the dagger was unflinching, but I had to fight to keep myself from trembling as badly as I felt like I would. I observed the boy. He couldn't have been older than sixteen; pale blonde hair shone in the orange lights of the highway; his gray eyes glinted viciously. Great, it was some other kid that had been corrupted by Luke…err, Kronos.

"What do you want, kid?" I asked coldly. "I don't appreciate pervs like you staring."

The boy had the decency to blush a violent shade of red, making his face look even redder awash the glow of the lights lining the road. "And I don't appreciate people going against my lord."

I grinned. Again, not many knew me; I could play this to my advantage. "I'm working with our lord," I told him, relaxing my hold on the dagger only marginally. "I came up here to get better pickings from the girls."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, still in clear disbelief. "Then where is your scythe charm?"

It took me a second tops to create a cover story. The scratches on my arm could easily pass of for a wolf clawing me. I told him that where I was bleeding I had kept the charm, but after the wolf had attacked me, it fell to the floor and I didn't have time to retrieve it.

"I still don't believe you," he replied haughtily. "And if you _did_ ever serve Kronos, you're a traitor."

"I'm a Castellan," I said, gritting my teeth so hard that it hurt just a little. "My brother, Luke, is hosting the Titan king right now, and I _know_ he has blood on his hands. I have a lot to live up to, so maybe I should start with you."

The boy blanched, and he dropped into a bow immediately. "I'm so sorry, Miss. I didn't know."

"Go!" I shouted at him. "And don't even think about mentioning me to anyone. I'm an undercover assassin, and if I'm discovered, Luke's sister or not, I'll be severely punished. And if that happens,"-I gave him the scariest glare I could muster-"you're going down with me."

"I swear on the Styx to not mention the younger Castellan to anyone!" yelped the boy, before sheathing his dagger, and turning to run. Just before he did, I grabbed him by the straps of his armor, pushing him over the side of the ledge.

Cruel? Yes, but at the time I had no idea what an oath on the Styx really meant, and I still trusted no one but myself. _Promises are meant to be broken,_ I reminded myself. With a sickening _THUD,_ the unnamed boy landed on top of the stationary tank, crushing in the windshield even more.

Guilt immediately began to consume me, and I felt like a murderer; but this was war, and war always had casualties. I barely hid behind the posters in time as a few of the monsters towards the back looked upwards to where I was hidden, wondering why in the heavens the boy had just hurdled himself off the top of the tunnel. Standing stick straight for at least ten minutes, I realized that no one had come to attack me yet.

By now, the sun was already beginning to peak over the horizon, washing out the surrounding area in a rosy pink glow. As if by some unsigned command, the remaining monsters (about fifteen) retreated back into the depths of the Lincoln Tunnel, leaving nothing but the carnage that had been caused behind.

Instead of tempting fate again, I took the long way down to the entrance, quickly finding Thalia amongst the crowd. The losses from our side didn't seem too bad-I only saw three bodies-but I couldn't help but feel guilty for what I had done to the innocent boy. Well, he wasn't exactly innocent, but he had promised not to say anything about me, and I returned the favor by throwing him to his death.

Careful not to cut my hands on the shattered windshield, I pulled the dead boy off the tank. I didn't know how we were going to deal with the dead, so I picked him up bridal-style, carefully laying him next to the now five unmoving girls. Six deaths in the first battle.

"Layla," Thalia called out. She didn't have too many injuries on her: a gash on her forehead and it looked like parts of her clothes had caught fire, but other than that, she was fine. "You might want to leave him here."

"Why?" I asked, pursing my lips into a fine line. "I mean, I get he was a traitor, but he still deserves a proper burial."

She shook her head solemnly. " _Because_ he's a traitor, we don't give him a proper burial," Thalia explained. "Our sisters fell honorably in combat, defending Olympus like we're sworn to do at times like these. But this _boy,"_ -she said the word with contempt-"died trying to end Olympus. He doesn't deserve to even reach Asphodel."

"He still had a family!" I protested, scowling. "He left people behind in this world, and I think it'd give them some peace of mind if they knew he reached the afterlife someway shape or form!"

Thalia returned the scowl. "Gods, you and Luke have the same exact stubbornness! Why can't you just _listen?"_

I didn't answer, slowly beginning to take the armor off the boy. He didn't deserve to have his soul wandering the mortal side of the Styx, to not be able to pay Charon when his soul entered the Underworld. He had died defending what he believed in, and if that wasn't just as honorable as the five girls that had died, I didn't know what honor was.

The boy hung limply in my arms as I held him, brushing back his hair, which was matted down with blood. I'd give him the proper rites, I guess.

"I do listen," I finally said to Thalia. "But that doesn't mean I agree. I'll bury him on my own, then. I can only imagine how this is going to break his mom or dad's heart."

"Get used to death, Castellan!" Thalia snapped, her eyes blazing with electricity. "That's all us demigods deal with: death!"

I glared at her. "Are you calling me a mortal? I'm well aware of the fact that I only learned of my heritage this year, but I still dealt with death. Two of my friends committed dual suicide from being bullied; another one of my friend's died in a car crash from a drunk driver; and my best friend, the person I could always rely on being there when Mom couldn't be, her uncle _raped_ and then _murdered_ her! Don't tell me to get used to death when only _one_ of my friends from my group is the last one other than me to still be alive!"

Thalia looked taken aback at my outburst. She looked sheepish, but when a girl called her name, she gave me a look full of pity. "I'm sorry for your losses, then." Thalia reached into her jacket, which somehow miraculously wasn't too mutilated, and pulled out a little brochure. "You'd be a great huntress, if you ever think about joining us." She tucked it into my belt, and took off in the direction of the girl that had called her.

I adjusted the boy in my arms one more time, before hopping back onto the scooter I had rode here, laying the boy across my lap. Thankfully, he was short enough that his legs didn't stick out onto the road all that much, and I made my way back towards the Empire State Building.

* * *

Apparently Demigod HQ was the Plaza hotel. People were using curtains and sheets and towels as makeshift bandages; the Hunters' wolves and falcons made themselves at home; and people were snacking from the vending machines and snackbar.

As for the boy, I had drove to the nearest cemetery, and as macabre as this might sound, I found where a family had been having a funeral procession before falling under Morpheus' spell, meaning the ground already had a vacant opening. I had buried him in there- I made sure to secure some drachma from Olympus while we were there-and I placed two of the golden coins over his closed eyes and one in his mouth (I couldn't remember which was the proper method, but I had heard various accounts of both being used), before saying a prayer to the god of death, Thanatos, and to the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, to give him a safe passage to the next life.

It had taken me a while to cover the hole back up with the mound of earth next to the casket. Hopefully the family in mourning wouldn't remember having the opening ever dug out in the first place. I hope not, because I've heard of how expensive graveyard plots could be.

As I left, I could have sworn I felt a breeze rush by, despite there being zero wind. I clearly remember hearing someone say, "Thank you," but when I turned around, no one was there. I shrugged it off, and that brings me up to speed with where I am.

Not too soon after I had begun to dress my wounds with one of the silk curtains, Percy and Will came running into the building looking slightly breathless. Percy asked something about Annabeth to one brunette boy, and when he got an answer he was satisfied with, he just about dragged Will to wherever he was going.

By the time I couldn't see red seeping through the white fabric, I trusted myself enough to move my arm more freely. Ugh, this would be such a pain. My left arm was just as important as my right when it came to archery-it held up my bow and kept it steady when I pulled the string back-but if I rotated my shoulder cuff too much, pain would flare violently in my shoulder blade. The scratches on my right arm didn't hurt that badly, mostly being superficial wounds.

I was just about to walk out of the Plaza, going to find a place to crash-seeing as I fought through the night and all-but then the Demeter kids made a huge buffet, and I stayed for a few slices of pizza. Later on, a goat-man hybrid walked in and began talking to Percy, and Thalia soon joined the conversation. Towards the end, Thalia started casting glances in my direction, causing for Percy and the goat-man to look at me too. Percy finally left the room, probably looking for a place to sleep, when the two approached me.

I stifled a groan, swallowing a bite of the pizza, before spinning around in the swivel chair to face them. "What do you want, Thalia?" I asked, a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"I wanted you to meet one of my good friends," Thalia said, nudging the hybrid beside her in the sides. "This is Grover Underwood."

Grover looked kind of scraggly, what with having an acne riddled face and a small goatee, but he gave me a warm smile anyways. His reed pipes–at least, I thought they were reed pipes. Either that or pan pipes; I couldn't tell the difference-hung loosely around his neck, and a Rasta cap covered his reddish-brown hair.

"Hi, Grover," I said, reaching out to shake his hand. "So I'm guessing you're a satyr, huh?"

His brown eyes narrowed, like I was offending him or something. "You're just realizing _now_ that I'm a satyr?"

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Grover. It's just that I literally came to Camp Half-Blood about two or three days ago; I'm still learning about the mythological world. I thought you were a satyr, because I've seen pictures in my books of satyrs before, and you looked like one," I explained, hoping to ease the tension.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Grover admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It sucks you had to join us in the middle of a war, though."

I brushed him off. "I should've been able to acknowledge my heritage sooner. Seriously, Mom has the house decked out with Hermes memorabilia."

Thalia looked absolutely shocked at that. "You _live_ with May Castellan?"

"She's my mom," I said, suppressing the urge to glare at the daughter of Zeus. "Why wouldn't I live with her?"

"Luke said that the visions freaked him out, and that was the main reason he ran."

"Hold up!" Grover said, holding his hands out in a time-out formation. "What do you mean May Castellan is your mother? That would mean…"

I rolled my eyes, getting seriously tired of having to repeat myself. "Yes, I am Luke Castellan's sister, Layla. He never mentioned me, and he broke his promise to come back for me."

"But we stopped at May's house once," Thalia protested. "It was when he first met Hermes."

"How old was Luke when you stopped by?" I inquired.

"Twelve. But why does that matter?"

"At that time, I was nine," I explained. "Meaning, I would be sleeping when you guys came. I remember hearing voices downstairs, but I thought Mom was losing it again and thought nothing of it. Only recently have I learned that he stopped by more often. And when he got Mom's blessing to bathe in the Styx…" I shut my eyes, not wanting to relive how he had looked at me. "Anyways, I was forced to become the adult of the household, working at least six jobs a day while going to school, and still finding time to hang out with my friends."

Grover and Thalia gave me matching looks of sympathy. "I'm so sorry to hear that," Grover said.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked. "You haven't done anything to me. No, I blame Hermes and Luke for my hard life. And the thing is, I could've followed in Luke's footsteps, running away when I was able to; but Mom's sanity would sometime lapse back, and I know how heartbroken she would be to realize both of her children had fled because of her."

"How is she doing now?" asked Thalia, looking genuinely curious. "Because I saw how bad her episodes could get."

I sighed, fisting a handful of my blonde hair. "She's the same insane lunatic I've grown up with all my life. She hasn't had a sane moment since March, and afterword, she completely forgets what she was doing, continuing on like nothing was wrong. She doesn't even recognize me as her daughter."

Glancing up from my lap, I realized some of the people nearby had been eavesdropping on my conversation, and they all wore similar expressions of shock and pity. Great. Now even more people could see how truly screwed up my life was.

"I'm going to bed," I said miserably, grabbing my unfinished pizza and tossing it into the garbage. I made my way through the crowd of demigods, went up to the second floor, and flopped into the bed of the next available bedroom.

As I lay there, looking up at the canopied bed, I thought that I would never fall asleep-too full of stress and adrenaline to fully get a good rest, but soon enough my eyes drifted shut, and I slipped under the blanket of unconsciousness.

* * *

I found myself teleported into a store full of creepily lifelike statues somewhere on the border of New York and New Jersey, where it looked like the major players in the war were camping out during the daylight. The statues all had matching expressions of horror, and from all the myths I read, I had no doubt that this was the lair of Medusa.

There was a dining area in the back of the building, where I saw Kronos sitting on a gold throne, talking to a male demigod wearing an eyepatch over his face. Kronos was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, the same kind of outfit I would usually don, or any teenager for that matter. He looked so much like the normal version of Luke that only the evil sneer on his lips and the fact that his eyes were molten gold, and _glowing,_ told me that he wasn't really the Luke I remembered.

I tuned into the conversation, when I heard the demigod say, "She wanted to save him." What happened last night?

"But he is invulnerable," Kronos said quietly. "You saw that yourself."

"I can't explain it. Maybe she forgot."

"She forgot," Kronos said. "Yes, that must've been it. _Oh dear, I forgot my friend was invulnerable and took a knife for him. Oops._ Tell me, Ethan, where were you aiming when you stabbed at Jackson?"

Internally, I felt like liquid ice was flowing through my veins instead of blood. "Oh gods," I mouthed to myself, cupping my hands over my mouth. Ethan had found Percy's mortal point, and if he stabbed Percy there…Game over.

Ethan frowned, before pretending to hold a sword and mimed a thrust. "I'm not sure, sir. It all happened so fast. I wasn't aiming for any spot in particular."

Kronos's fingers tapped the blade of his scythe. "I see," he said in a chilly tone. "If your memory improves, I will expect-"

Suddenly the King of the Titans winced, stumbling backward into his throne. He clutched his head like he had a migraine.

"My lord?" Ethan moved forward.

"I-" The sound that escaped his mouth was unnaturally weak, signaling a prolonged period of time without use; but it sounded just like Luke. Then Kronos's expression hardened. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers slowly as if forcing them to obey.

"It's nothing," Kronos said, his voice steely and cold again. "A minor discomfort."

Ethan licked his lips nervously. "He's still fighting you, isn't he? Luke-"

"Nonsense," Kronos spat. "Repeat that lie, and I will cut out your tongue. The boy's soul has been crushed."

That was when I stopped listening. For the first time, I realized just how much I wanted Luke back. I wanted him to be my big brother again, the one that would make funny faces and protect me from Mom's fits. I didn't want him to be this monster anymore. Hermes abandoning the three of us had turned Luke bitter, and he became so blindsided by this bitterness, he's willing to risk the fate of the world just to get revenge against Dad.

As much as I held a great load of resentment for Hermes, screaming at him seemed to get rid of most of the feelings. I think if I had gotten a chance to hit him, I would've been fully ready to reconcile with Hermes, but you can only push an angry Olympian so far before they'll smite you, child of theirs or not.

"Layla!" Kronos said jovially, so unlike the ice cold tone he used with Ethan just moments earlier. "You came back!"

"I did," I said, giving a nervous chuckle. "So…what's going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about," he told me, still giving me a smile like the portraits of Luke at home. "Come here."

I took a cautious step forward, still giving myself about a foot between the throne and where I was. I didn't want to be near the Titan at all, but he seemed very adamant about my proximity to him being as close as possible. I shuddered at my own dark thoughts. Dear gods, I need to go bleach my brain later on.

"How are you holding up?" Kronos asked, standing up from the throne, only to grab me by the waist, eliciting a yelp from me as he sat me across his lap, like how you'd sit on Santa's lap at the mall in December.

"Mom still has her fits," I said. "Keeps screaming about your fate."

Kronos groaned, leaning his head back against the throne. He opened his eyes, and for a second, they were their normal blue color. "Layla?" Luke's voice asked weakly.

"Yes, Kronos?" I responded, feigning ignorance. It pained me to watch as the Titan gained control over my brother once more, blinking a few times to make sure he was in control.

"Thank you for that," Kronos said. "The little bugger is having cold-feet about my hosting him."

"Shouldn't he be honored?" I twirled a long strand of my hair around my index finger, like those obnoxious flirtatious girls that thought guys would find hair twirling irresistible. News flash: it doesn't work over half the time! But it seemed to be working now…Ugh, gross! Where is brain bleach when you need it?!

"That's what I told him!" complained Kronos. "He'd get a new body as soon as I could enter my true form, ruling as my second in command. Plus, it's the start of a new era. The Olympians are unfit rulers; the Titans were better. Mortals were ignorant, and it would be great fun to watch them scamper around like the rodents they are."

Thank the gods he couldn't read my mind, or I'd become minced meat in an instant with his scythe, which happened to be within arm's reach, perched against the throne carelessly. Kronos had killed his father, Ouranos, with that scythe, meaning that no one was safe from the soul-reaper blade.

"What are your plans after the war?"

"Bah, women are trying to become superior to men nowadays; I'm sick of it!" He narrowed his eyes at me, making me want to cringe away from the Titan even more than I already did. "But to answer your question, I will rebuild the world to its former glory. And all my Titan brethren that have supported me will get their spots on our council, while the Olympians rot in the depths of Tartarus for several millennia, to face the same punishment we have experienced."

I shivered, goosebumps running up my arms. The Olympians were obviously pretty sucktastic rulers, but they were the lesser of two evils when it came to the gods versus the Titans.

"And you, Layla, will be my new queen."

I froze for a five count, before turning to look at Kronos with eyes the size of the moon, complete and utter shock being the only emotion I truly could pinpoint. If Kronos wanted his queen back, shouldn't he just go pine after Rhea? Then again, she had betrayed him in the past, probably nullifying their marriage, but I don't think divorce existed back then.

"Why me?" I squeaked out. "I mean, you're in my brother's body, so that's incest. And I'm not looking for any relationships right now until after college. I still have to take care of Mom, and I still have work." My rambling continued, leaving a highly amused look on his face. I don't think I was discouraging him. If anything, I was acting hard to get, probably making him want to pine over me that much harder.

"Layla, hear me out. I understand you're weirded out," he began, but suddenly his eyes narrowed, and the little bit of warmth vanished at once. "But I get what I want. _You. Are. Mine!"_

He grabbed me forcefully by the back of my neck, forcing his lips onto my own. With one hand he kept my head in place, while the other slipped under my shirt, and shivers ran up my spine from how disgusted I was. He tried to shove his tongue down my throat, allowing me to harshly bite his lip, cringing as the metallic taste of blood entered my mouth. Kronos screamed, and I yanked his hand out of my shirt. I scrambled off his lap in fear, retreating until I felt my back bump against one of the statues.

Kronos got up from his throne, spat golden blood to the ground, and looked at me like a cornered animal. "I've got you now!"

Someone's hands were shaking me by my shoulders, and I jolted up, narrowly avoiding colliding my head into someone's armor. They were saying something in a soothing tone, but I couldn't make out the words if I wanted to. I had nearly been raped by Kronos, just because Luke was my brother and he wanted both Castellan's under his thumb.

"Layla, you're safe, okay?" I heard a female voice say softly. I had no idea who this girl was, but she held such concern in her eyes, it warmed my heart just a little.

"Thanks," I said shakily, rubbing my eyes, only to realize my face was slightly damp. Had I been crying in my sleep? Gods, please tell me I didn't cry in front of Kronos.

"What happened?"

"A really bad nightmare," I admitted. "Someone touched me in a way no one should be touched without consent."

She winced, as if she had heard that kind of thing one too many times. She actually looked kind of like me, except for the fact that I did _not_ have my tips dyed a dark purple color. Her hair and eyes were like that of every Apollo camper I had met so far, and judging by the fact she had a bow slung over her shoulder, that was what really convinced me.

"You know my name," I said, "but I don't know yours."

"Kayla Knowles," she said with a smile. "Daughter of Apollo."

I smiled at her thankfully. Then I remembered my dream. Kronos was sending something to Manhattan to attack us, but I had no idea what the sick perverted bastard was planning. I moved to sit up, before wincing and clutching my left shoulder. Stupid dagger to the back.

"Are you okay?" Kayla asked, looking at me with concern.

"Yeah, just got a dagger to the shoulder blade yesterday." I rolled my shoulders, biting back a curse as my left shoulder felt like it was burning. "What time is it?"

"Near sunset-but that's not important. Come with me."

She reached out for my hand, which I gratefully took. She fiddled with the fletchings of her arrows, making sure they were all in their proper direction for the least amount of air resistance. I messed with my bracelet as we walked down the hallway, until we stopped at the balcony.

"I'm not much of a healer," admitted Kayla, blushing lightly. "That would be my brother, Will. Here, I'll wake him."

"I don't want to be a bother," I said, offering her a nonchalant smile. "I'll be fine."

Kayla rolled her eyes at me like as if she was thinking, _sure you will._ She pushed the doors open anyways, literally pushing Will out of his couch to wake him up. Jeez, remind me to never be woken by an Apollo camper.

"Get up, big bro!" she screamed cheerily, causing for Will to groan.

"Thanks for the wakeup call, sis," he replied sarcastically, using the couch to push himself upright. "Okay, who's hurt now?"

"Layla-take care of her." Kayla gave me a sadistic smile. "The monsters are coming out to play, and I'm going to make them _pay_ for killing Michael." She looked saddened for a moment before turning on her heel, rushing to head out to the vacant streets of Manhattan.

Will also seemed saddened by hearing the name, so I didn't press. I could tell Michael meant a lot to the both of them-a brother, maybe? It seemed most likely. Will checked my shoulder wound, re-bandaging it, and handing me a square cookie which he called ambrosia. The second I bit into the godly food, I nearly spat it out, wanting to retch the flavor out of my mouth.

"What's wrong?" asked Will, confused as to why I was trying to vomit the thing that was supposed to be healing me.

"Why does it taste like Mom's cookies?" I shouted, nearly hysterical.

Will frowned, glancing at the still half-uneaten piece of ambrosia in my hand. "It's supposed to remind you of your favorite food. Is there something wrong with your mom's cookies?"

"No, it's just…" I sighed, swallowing the other half down without a fight. How could I explain this to someone that didn't know my mother? They'd think I was exaggerating or being disrespectful-but it was only the truth. "It's complicated," I finally settled on saying.

"I won't pry." He fisted a clump of his blonde hair, his young features appearing to age years within seconds. It made me wonder how many healers were on hand, or if it was only him.

"Will, how long have you had time to sleep?"

"Uh, maybe three or four hours," he admitted to me sheepishly. "But the sun's going down, meaning I need to be ready to receive more injured demigods."

"I'll help," I told him. "I may not be as good as you, son of Apollo, but I can definitely help out. I've taken a bunch of First-Aid classes, and I'm certified in CPR."

"Do you know how to deal with poisonous wounds and people being impaled?"

"Yeah. For poison, set the part of the body low to the ground and tie a tourniquet, restricting blood flow. As for being impaled, leave the thing in and tie a tourniquet until it can be safely removed."

Will gave me a shocked look, dumbfounded that I knew so much. "If you ever want to be a nurse in the infirmary, let me know."

"Duly noted. So, can I help?"

"Sure. I need you to get some supplies from the nearest Walgreens. Bandages mostly, though."

"Okay. I'll leave some money on the countertop just in case."

He sighed in relief. "Whew. I thought I'd have to convince you to leave a little money like your brothers."

"My brothers?" I questioned. I really hadn't gotten a chance to meet a lot of people in the half of a day I was there. Plus, everyone glared at me like I had a contagious disease.

"Connor and Travis Stoll." Will shook his head. "Never mind, I'll introduce you to them later. I'll be here when you get back."

I nodded my head, pulling on my charm so that my bow appeared. I wasn't going to go anywhere unarmed during a time of war. Will handed me a list of what I needed to get, and I grabbed the same scooter I had used yesterday, driving off to Walgreens.

The sound of the engine humming echoed against the walls of the skyscrapers, the eerie silence deafening. I had always heard New York City never slept, but now with all the mortal residents out of it, it set my nerves on edge. A block away from the pharmacy, I parked the scooter, not wanting to attract any attention to myself.

I already had an arrow notched and my fingers wrapped around the string as I surveyed the area. There was no one anywhere to be seen as I ran into Walgreens. I left a twenty-dollar bill on the check-out counter, before grabbing one of those shopping baskets and emptying the store of its bandages, alcohol, Tylenol, Advil, and a bunch of braces for sprained joints. I shoved all the items into plastic bags, letting them dangle from my belt as I walked out.

My footsteps were painfully obvious against the sidewalk, and whenever I felt like something was nearing me, I gripped my bow string even tighter. It was a miracle I hadn't pulled the string so taut that it snapped.

A few empousai walked a few blocks in front of me, giggling and gossiping like teenage girls. And leading them was the hybrid robot-donkey Kelli. Oh, how I wanted to shoot her through her blackened heart. I waited until I was a little closer, before I shot maybe two or three of the group down. I had just enough time to duck into a staircase, my heart pounding as the demon girls started screaming at each other.

I then ran back to the Plaza as fast as I could without drawing any attention to myself. Already Will was swamped with patients, dealing with sword wounds and arrows being embedded into skin, and even some burn marks on some people.

Setting the bags of medical supplies beside the son of Apollo, I pulled on some latex gloves, grabbed a few rolls of bandages, and got to work.

* * *

A flying pig, automatons that had come to life, and a couple hundred centaurs later, the demigods decided to move base to Olympus. After taking the patients up the elevator-the ones more critically wounded-Will and I started working again. I had lost count of how many Band-Aids I had handed out within the last few hours, and currently, I was in the middle of putting a son of Dionysus' arm in a cast. I think his name was Pollux, and he was glaring at the Stoll brothers vehemently. A grudge, I guess.

After I finished putting his arm in a cast, I sat on a bench in exhaustion, gulping down half a bottle of water. Will sat beside me, looking half asleep as he put his head in his hands.

"I don't get paid enough for this," he said to me, giving a weak laugh.

"I doubt this is a paying job. But seriously, how many more injuries are we going to see? I'm surprised we're still holding Manhattan."

"We've got good fighters."

I remembered the battle I had participated in yesterday, remembering how agile the Hunters were. If that was the hunters, I wonder how the other tunnels and bridges fared. I had heard whispers of a bridge being completely decimated, but I was still skeptical.

Fighters, I thought to myself. We've got plenty of strong, skilled fighters, but none of that matters if we have a spy. That was when I remembered that the boy I had flung off the bridge had asked me where my scythe charm was. Was it possible that we had a spy?

I voiced my concerns to Will, and he replied, "We do have a spy. No one knows who it is, though." Will frowned, clenching his hands into fists in his lap. "I hope they get caught and suffer in the Fields of Punishment for what they've done."

"Isn't that harsh?" I asked. "Yeah, they betrayed Olympus, but is eternal damnation really the best idea?"

Will glared at me. "The spy is the reason Kronos knows where we're strongest and the cause for so many deaths. He killed my brother!"

The blonde boy then shut his eyes, obviously trying to blink back tears. As mature as he acted, Will honestly couldn't have been older than fourteen. Here I was, a seventeen-year-old, being completely insensitive and naïve about something so devastating. Sure, I dealt with death more than I would like to admit, but I was fifteen when my friends committed dual suicide. Plus, I had to mature faster than the average kid to deal with Mom. Will clearly needed comfort, but I doubted I could be much of that. I was already ostracized due to my relationship to Luke; if I tried to be nice to Will, someone would probably think I was trying to convince him to join Kronos.

"He killed my brother too," I said quietly, sighing in resignation. I had seen firsthand when Kronos fought Luke for control, and the Titan had won. My brother was as good as dead.

The son of Apollo gave me a desperate look, tears shining in his eyes as he embraced me in a bone crushing hug. I seized up for a moment, before relaxing and pulling the softly sobbing boy closer. I brushed my hand through his hair in a sibling like manner, whispering soothing words as his body shook against my side.

"I'm sorry for what my brother did. Your brother didn't deserve to die, Will. No one in this blasted war deserves to die."

Sniffling and wiping his eyes, Will looked up at me with wide blue eyes, the exact color of the sky on a cloudless day. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and tear tracks streaked down his cheeks-I didn't care. As a healer, I doubt he could show his true emotions as much as he would like to, instead building a wall to keep an air of professionalism.

"It's not your fault," he finally said after a few moments of agonizing silence. "Just because you were unfortunate enough to end with _him_ as your brother, that doesn't mean you're going to turn out the same way. If anything _I_ should be apologizing to you for judging you based on your name."

I ruffled his hair in a good-nature manner, making him pout like a child. Aw, he was so cute! "It's okay, kiddo. I would be wary too."

Will breathed a sigh of relief, content with resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled at the younger boy, slinging an arm over his shoulders like an older sister would do. Not that I would know. I was practically an only child.

The both of us sat on the bench, staring off at the landscape of Olympus, feeling a lot lighter-hearted than I had in months. I hope Will felt better, too.

* * *

 **Please leave a review if you liked! And thanks to all who have favorited and followed this story! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**As a warning, some of the first few parts of this chapter are triggering, so please read at your own discretion. And later on there is some spiritual talk, but I'm not trying to offend anyone or change what people believe, so don't completely hate me for that. Otherwise, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

My breath caught in my throat as the faces of the people I trusted most in the world appeared in front of me. All of my friends were here and _alive._ Nicole was standing beside me, too, looking just as shocked as I felt.

There was Abby and Hannah, their skin whole without any scars on their arms, and their necks void of any rope burn marks. Both had had a suicidal tendency, and despite all the depression medication they took and the therapy sessions they attended, both eventually took their lives. Abby and Hannah were sisters, and I remember the phone call I received from their parents the next day, their voices broken and raw from crying over their daughters' deaths. I was so numb that I really couldn't process the information, until all the grief slammed me like a brick wall at their shared funeral. There, I was an absolute train-wreck, freely sobbing over the closed caskets of two of the best people in the world, and my other friends were holding me back from murdering the bullies that pushed Hannah and Abby over the edge.

Then there was Richard. He was the only guy in our friend group, but he was like the big brother figure. I know that I thought of Richard more of a brother than Luke, and his death was even worse than Abby and Hannah. He had been at band practice that night with the rest of the band, and he was already old enough to have his license and a car. I heard that practice that night ran until eleven, but it was on a Friday, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Now, I don't know exactly what the circumstances were, but I do know that a drunk driver crashed into Richard's car head-on, crumpling the windshield and dashboard of his car, and the wheel slammed into his chest.

The paramedics told his parents that the wheel had been what killed him, crushing his ribcage into so many fragments that it punctured his lungs and heart, killing him instantly. What's even worse is that the only injury the drunk driver received was a broken leg from the impact. He was the reason that another one of my friends were gone, and he only had an injury that anyone could receive! I think Richard's parents sued him from manslaughter, but they never really spoke about his death that much. I couldn't blame them.

And finally was my best friend. She was the sister I never had, being my identical in every way except for our appearance. Her death probably hit me the hardest out of all my friends. Cassy was by far one of the most attractive girls at our school. You couldn't enter a room with her without at least ten boys staring obviously at her; some even outright drooled! Her brown hair always seemed to be in perfect ringlets, with a few strands adorning her face while the rest was in a bun like a princess. Cassy wasn't one for makeup either-only some concealer and the faintest trace of eyeliner; she was naturally that beautiful. Despite the stereotype that everyone that is remotely attractive in high school is a complete ass, Cassy was the opposite. She had a generous and loving soul, always kind to everyone unless you gave her a decent reason for her to act any other way. And she was ridiculously smart. Like, she had maybe one more requirement to fulfill and she'd be valedictorian.

Many times people would take advantage of Cassy (mostly for her smarts), in more ways than one. Richard was already her boyfriend at the time, but boys continued to pine after her in the most undignified ways. I remember that on her birthday, we were all hanging out in her house, and there was about twenty guys from school on the premises, screaming the "Happy Birthday" song to the top of their lungs. Cassy's father threatened to call the police, and that sent them scurrying pretty quickly. But it was her trusting nature that probably ended with her dying.

Richard's death broke something within Cassy, more than it did in the rest of us (the rest of us being me and Nicole). For a while, she secluded herself from us, saying that it reminded her too much of Richard when we were around. I understood that, and for a few days, the three of us didn't talk to each other to get over it. On the fourth day, I went over to Cassy's house to talk, because I knew we would be more at peace if we grieved together than separately. And then I saw the blood…

I remember screaming like I was in a horror movie, dropping my bag on the floor, and dialing 911 as fast as my shaking fingers would allow. The police showed up maybe half-an-hour later, interrogating me for answers, until they realized I was as clueless as the rest of them. Cassy's dad was a mess as the paramedics sealed the blue bag that held her lifeless body within. Cassy was the only thing left he had of her mother, who had died of cancer about five years ago.

When I read the autopsy report a couple of weeks later, I was ready to commit the act that had cost my best friend, my _sister,_ her life. Her Uncle Nick, her mom's brother, had raped Cassy after realizing how vulnerable she was. And when she tried to fight back with the switchblade she usually kept on her at all times (she had always been prepared to fight off sexual offenders after one guy nearly raped her), Nick had smashed her head with the leg of the coffee table until she was dead. The autopsy recorded that semen had been found inside of Cassy's body, and Nick pled guilty to first-degree murder and the sexual assault of his niece.

Going to Cassy's funeral with only Nicole was a wakeup call for me. Now, I knew it wasn't my fault that any of my friends died, but even then I felt guilty. Some part of me couldn't help but think that if I hadn't been friends with any of them, then they'd still be alive today, and maybe _I'd_ be the one lying lifeless in a casket underground.

So seeing them all here, I felt my heart swell in joy.

"Oh my God!" I shouted, my eyes prickling with tears. I went and gave each and every one of them a hug, afraid that if I let go, they'd disappear.

Nicole copied my actions, hugging the four of them fiercely, before ultimately breaking down into Hannah's arms. Everyone knew, besides Hannah, that Nicole had held deep feelings for Hannah, and her death nearly pushed her to commit suicide, too, which would've left me the last one standing.

"Lay, what are you _doing_ here?" Richard asked in his big-brother tone, looking at me with concern in his brown eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Thea, do you know where we are?" Cassy asked, laying a hand on my shoulder, smiling sadly.

I shook my head, using that as an opportunity to look around. Everything around me was black-the ground, the nonexistent sky, even my clothes had changed to the color of mourning. Actually, I was in the same black dress I had worn to each of my friends' funerals. I thought I had burned this dress; there were too many bad memories associated with it.

More ghosts surrounded our little group, chattering aimlessly amongst themselves. I didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that I couldn't understand a word that they were saying. Why was it so gloomy down here? The air smelled of dirt and…death. This couldn't be…

I felt like someone had yanked the ground out from under my feet. Why was I in the Underworld? Had I died and not realized it until now?

"No, you're not dead," Abby quickly reassured me, glancing over her shoulder as Hannah and Nicole continued to hug each other. "But we are."

"You see this as the Underworld?" I questioned. I had always thought that people would see death however they perceived it, not automatically the Greek version of death.

"What?" Cassy asked, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "No, this isn't the Underworld. This is Heaven; can't you tell? And let me tell you, your wings are beautiful, Thea."

Wings? Okay, so to all of them I look like an angel. Right, they're all Christians while I was the only atheist. Well, now I'm technically polytheistic, but whatever. The Greek gods are probably so much worse than the Christian God that my friends believe in.

"Thank you. Your wings are just as pretty, Hailey." Cassy and I had a tradition where we only call each other by our middle names, but it was only between the two of us. "So why am I here?"

Hannah, finally free from Nicole's arms, cocked her head to the side as if listening to someone speak. "He says that you were brought here to see us, something about your brother, too. What happened with Luke?"

I winced, grimacing at the reminder of what was going on in the real world. "He's hosting the devil in him." That was probably the best way to explain it to them.

"Do you mean sin?" asked Richard. "Or do you mean he is legitimately hosting Satan?"

"The latter."

"Despicable!" Richard swears like an old man, by the way. "I never liked your brother anyways!"

"You've never met him," Abby pointed out, jabbing her index finger into his arm. "None of us have."

Richard pouted like an overgrown child. "Whatever. He abandoned Lay, and no one does that to our friends."

"So, what's going to happen to him?" Nicole asked, speaking for the first time. "Other than he's going to Hell."

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "But I've got to beat him."

"Why? He practically disowned you, Layla. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, Nicole. This is the only way."

"Maybe not," Cassy interrupted, her eyes holding that same calculating spark she always had when we were in school. Her hands went to the silver chain around her neck, skillfully unclasping her necklace that she wore every day without fail. It was a simple charm of a cross, with a small statue of Jesus being crucified. "This will be your most powerful weapon, Layla Thea Castellan. Guard it to the best of your ability. I promise you that when things seem bleakest, this will be the light that guides you."

I wordlessly accepted the necklace, not wanting to sound rude. I never believed in any of that Bible stuff anyways, but I respected the faith of my friends. The cold silver seemed to burn in the pocket of my jacket, leaving a freezing spot on the left side of my stomach.

"He says it's time to go," Richard said. "We'll see you again, Layla, Nicole. We're still here for you when you need us, okay?"

I just nodded, not trusting my voice to convey my feelings. All their deaths had happened within a ten-month time period, but it was like they were dying all over again. Then their forms disappeared, and I was left standing alone in the middle of the Underworld.

* * *

I was staring half-heartedly at the steadily burning hearth in the middle of the throne room. Will and the other Apollo kids had decided to move the wounded once more, not knowing when Kronos would finally reach Olympus. We all knew he'd eventually get to Olympus, but no one knew if he'd succeed or not. I for one knew that I was holding my breath and hoping for the best.

The fire kept a constant height of about two-feet, and it kept its warm orange color. I had my head resting against my knees, thinking about what I had seen with my friends. They were okay, and that helped me settle those nagging questions that I've had since their deaths. At least I knew Nicole was safe. The chain was dangling from my pants pocket, which I fingered between my thumb and index finger, the repetitive motion oddly soothing.

I wished I knew what I was supposed to be doing. Everyone here had a purpose, whether it was stealing supplies or healing or fighting, but then there was me, floating around aimlessly. I've been in battle, healed, spied (in my dreams, anyway), but now I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Figure out what my friends were trying to tell me, I guess.

A warm hand caressed my cheek, making me look up. It didn't surprise me that it was Hestia. Knowing how I looked, I probably needed some cheering up. It wasn't until I felt her warm hand against my freezing skin did I realize that a few tears had strayed down my cheeks.

Seeing my friends was an emotional rollercoaster that I never want to repeat. Sure, it was great knowing that they were happy and safe, but it was like reliving their deaths all over again-except this time, I had no one to share my grief with. No one else here knew my friends existed except for me, and that was an extremely excruciating fact I had to come to terms with after they all died. I remember wishing that the world should've stopped to grieve for every single one of my friends, but then I realized, Earth has over seven-billion people on its surface; my four friends were insignificant in comparison. They might've meant the world to me, but to the world, they meant nothing.

"Why do you cry, child?" Hestia asked in a soothing manner, her hand already tangled in my blond locks as she stroked me affectionately. "If it is the battle making you weary, know that we still have hope. Elpis is safe with me."

I dried the few tears off my face, staring blankly ahead at the hearth. "No, it's not the war-though that is a part." I sighed, reaching a hand to my pocket where the silver necklace resided, my fingers running over the gems embedded in it. "I was reunited with some friends of mine through a dream-that was all."

"I sense there's something more."

"Well, they're all dead except for one. Don't ask me how I communicated with them, because honestly, I'm as confused as the next person." As much as I wanted to take out Cassy's necklace and show Hestia to ask some questions, something in the back of the mind was nagging me to keep the piece of jewelry a secret for as long as possible. "It's like I'm reliving their deaths."

Hestia nodded her head in understanding. "Understandable. Not that I have much experience with loss, my dear, so if I seem inconsiderate, please forgive me."

"From what I've gathered, you're probably the nicest goddess out there, so you don't need to ask for my forgiveness." I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my elbows on my kneecap. I kept messing with my charm bracelet, the caduceus jingling quietly against the chain. "I'm just confused about what I'm supposed to do."

"How so?" Hestia had stopped stroking my hair, giving me a look I only saw on Nicole's mother's face when Nicole had something serious to say. "Aren't all the demigods fighting?"

"Yes, but…" I paused, carefully mulling over how I was going to word my sentence. If my defense was going to make any sense, I had to make Hestia understand first. "I know that all gods and goddesses are immortal, but have you ever felt like any of your siblings abandoned you when they promised they'd come back?"

Hestia's expression turned pensive for a moment, before darkening considerably. It was something I didn't like seeing on the goddess of the hearth's face. She was clearly brooding, as if planning on stabbing one of her siblings in the back just so they could feel the pain she felt at being abandoned.

After a few moments of silence, she answered, "That would be all my brothers and sisters. Zeus gave Dionysus my throne, so that there wouldn't be a war. It's not like I wanted a throne anyways, but I remember Zeus telling me that he'd make sure I was still given the same respect as any other Olympian with a throne. Just because I stay in a child-like form, he treats me like a child despite the fact that I am quite a few years older than him. Poseidon isn't that bad, giving me the same amount of respect he'd give anyone else, but if I suggest ideas to the council they all give me this look as if they're saying, _'Oh, how cute! The goddess of the hearth is telling us what we should do for the betterment of Olympus. That's adorable!'"_

I winced. If the Olympians were really this dysfunctional, it was completely understandable why so many of their own demigod children would join Kronos. Hell, if it wasn't for the fact that Kronos had chosen Luke as a host, I might've considered joining him. These gods were awful parents, and for being able to control so many parts of the natural world, you'd think that some parenting skills would also come with it.

Hestia continued her rant, giving her two-cents about each one of her siblings. I waited patiently for her to finish, nodding my head to show that I was still listening every once and a while, and telling her that it was okay if she didn't want to recount _every_ promise that her siblings had broken.

Then it was my turn to spill my guts. Until Hestia spoke up, saying, "Instead of recounting your past, let's see it."

"Uh, I don't think that's the best-"

My protests were soon cut off as Hestia placed her finger on my forehead, causing for my vision to go black.

* * *

Moments later I was home. Well, not at home in my time period, but home about fourteen years ago.

Everything was still the same: there were an insane amount of mirrors; Hermes wind chimes tinged pleasantly with every gust of the wind; but most obvious was the overflowing stack of peanut butter sandwiches and burned cookies littering the floor. It was clear Luke didn't clean up the mess like I did, instead leaving the food to decompose on its own. Which, in my opinion, sounds completely and utterly disgusting.

As the door swung open, I saw nine-year-old Luke enter, dropping his backpack behind the door. I heard babbling in the background, and faint sounds of, "Lukie!" coming from a toddler in a crib. It took me a moment to realize that _I_ was the one calling out Luke's name.

His face wasn't scarred in this memory, and his face broke out into a happy grin as he rushed over to where I was peeking out of the crib. He ruffled my blonde hair, which was reaching around my shoulders, and I squealed, swatting his hands away with my own.

"Luke!" I complained. "Stop it!"

"Or what?" he asked mischievously. The smirk on his face promised nothing but trouble. He then began to tickle my sides, turning me into a helpless, squirming mess. After a few seconds of me begging for him to stop, Luke took my out of my crib, allowing for me to stand in the living room.

"Where's Mom?"

"Kitchen," I answered. I then grabbed a fistful of his shirt, dragging him to the kitchen against his will. "Mommy! Luke's home!"

Luke visibly winced as I called our mother. As I grew older and finally understood the fact that my mother was insane, I wanted to stay as far away from Mom as I could while still making sure that she was safe.

"Luke!" Mom screeched, running full force into the poor boy. In her mad dash, I had nearly been knocked over myself, but Mom didn't seem to care. She didn't even acknowledge me, which is the sad part.

The memory fast-forwarded much to my chagrin, because I wanted to see more of Luke treating me like a little sister, to the part where Luke looked ready to run. Toddler me walked into Luke's room, my blanket held in one hand while I rubbed my eyes with the other.

"Bad dream," I told him, looking at him with wide, fearful eyes. Apparently, I turned to Luke when I had nightmares as a source of comfort. He opened his arms for a hug, holding me tightly as he caressed my hair until I fell asleep.

I then watched as Luke disentangled himself from me, quietly slipping on his backpack that was only filled with necessities from underneath his bed. He then kissed me on my forehead, causing for me to wake up.

"Luke?" I asked tiredly. "Where you going?"

"I'll come back for you, okay?" Luke told me, instead of answering my question. "I promise I'll come back."

"Okay," I mumbled, too tired to really process what he had told me. "Night." Luke gave me a pained smile before leaving his room, shutting the door quietly behind him, immersing me in the darkness of the night.

* * *

Hestia was looking at me pitifully when the memory ended. I just sighed, twirling the ends of my hair absentmindedly. Seeing how long ago the event occurred, I only remembered bits and pieces, but it surprised me just how much I loved Luke all those years ago. If I had been in his life, would he still have turned to Kronos? I wish I knew the answer to that question.

"Now you know why I'm so conflicted," I told Hestia, resting my forehead against my knees. "How am I supposed to face him when he wears my brother's face?"

"Yes, that is a problem indeed, Layla. But I do believe you will be able to fight back, despite the fact that you will see Luke instead of the true monster."

I nodded, getting to my feet. I had spent enough of the day pitying myself and questioning my importance when I could've been doing something useful, like fighting. Bowing once to the goddess, I checked the hearth once more. Fear coursed through me as it seemed like the flames were beginning to sputter out, but not enough to snuff the embers out.

Hestia gave me a small smile, telling me that she acknowledged the problem. She went to coax more fuel out of the coals, and I left the throne room, heading back down the elevators to the New York streets below.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

I could _feel_ my heart hammering in my ribcage as I notched an arrow, trying to steady my breathing as a monster-I think someone called it a drakon-slithered down Fifth Avenue, its scales scraping against the road like knives being sharpened. The mere sound sent goosebumps up my skin, but I forced myself to stay still.

I'd like to say that my arrow hurt the drakon, but honestly, it hit the metal scales of its hide and bounced off like the world's best body armor. I didn't know whether to be thankful or not that it didn't turn to face me. But by the petrification of the demigods in its gaze, I think I'll stay on its back end.

Flying chariots pulled by skeleton horses came from the sky with the person leading them shrieking, "ARES!" at the top of their lungs. I winced as the drakon ate one of the charioteers in a single gulp, while others got poison spewed at them as they charged the over grown lizard.

I turned on my heel, finding a fire escape on the side of a building. After running up to maybe the eighth or ninth floor, I notched another arrow, feeling more at peace from this position. Sure, if the drakon decided to turn my way and spit poison at me, I'd definitely die, but this was one of the best positions if I wanted to hit its face in any way.

The same girl-their voice sounded to shrill to be a boy-charged again, but the drakon caught her with its poisonous venom, causing for her chariot to crash to the ground. As much as it pained me to see that, I pulled back my bow string, aiming for a spot between its scales right on the back of his neck.

Another girl from another flying chariot held the broken body on the street, surrounded by other demigods (I could've sworn I saw Percy and Annabeth), before grabbing some sort of weapon and charging the drakon by herself. That was about the bravest and stupidest thing I had ever seen in my life time.

Deciding that I was too far away to be of any use, I pushed of the railing of the fire escape, jumping to the platform on the next building. I nearly slipped a couple of times, barely catching the railing in time to prevent me from going splat on the pavement below, but I eventually got close enough.

The girl on the drakon began to glow red, and I winced as one of my arrows nearly hit her leg. Thankfully, she stayed focus, until the drakon seized as sparks began to fly off of it, like someone had transferred all of Manhattan's electrical energy into the monster.

I walked down to the ground level, shooting the drakon in its still open eyes one more time for good measure. The cursed thing had nearly burned my bow when it first came charging down Fifth Avenue. Not cool, bro!

As I neared the group of huddled demigods, crouching over the fallen girl, my hand reached for the thick roll of bandages and baggie of ambrosia I had left in my pants pocket from helping Will out (I had some guy's cargo pants that I found at the hotel a while back-lots of big pockets). But when I saw how badly the poison had burned through the girl's skin, I knew that there was nothing I-or anyone for that matter-could do. My blood chilled as I saw her hold out the silver scythe charm; _she_ had been the spy for Kronos.

"Oh gods," I mumbled to myself, holding a hand over my mouth to hide my shock.

"Y-you," the girl said weakly, locking her gaze with mine. "Be…careful. No…trust."

People around me glared, and I felt myself looking down at the ground. What did she know about what Kronos had been doing to me? I heard her say something about someone named Charlie, causing for the girl holding her to start crying when she didn't move again.

A moment later, I felt a meaty hand wrapped around my throat, slowly squeezing my neck. I coughed and gagged, struggling against the person, but their grip was like a vice: tight and unyielding.

"Clarisse, let her go!" I heard Annabeth scream as a boy with mousy brown hair tried to pull her off of me.

"Why should I?" Clarisse growled, tightening her grip even more. My vision had black spots dancing everywhere. Any more oxygen restriction and I'd pass out, or possibly die if she tried to strangle me to death. "Silena was a hero, but she claims to know this, this _traitor!"_

"Clarisse, that's enough," the boy next to her said sternly. "Let her talk, and then decide if you want to kill her or not."

That seemed to placate her as I collapsed onto my knees, gasping for air while rubbing my throat in pain. I didn't glare at Clarisse, knowing that the slightest provocation would end with my death.

"Talk, girl," she ordered. "What do you know about Silena?"

"I don't know her," I rasped out, my voice sounding scratchy from how tight she held my neck. "Never met her before in my life."

 _"_ _Lies!"_ Clarisse shouted, her face red with rage. "Silena says she knows you, and I trust her! I swear if you're a traitor, I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!"

I felt the blood drain from my face. Jeez, this girl was terrifying. How did that boy-possible boyfriend?-deal with her?

"Not a traitor. I came to camp a few days ago, the day the fighting began. I don't have any relations to the Titans. If anything, Kronos is a pervert who's trying to rape me." My eyes widened with shock, and I clamped a hand over my mouth. I hadn't meant to say that! "Gods, I didn't want you guys to hear that," I said rapidly, my body trembling in fear.

Annabeth walked up to me, her eyes a steely gaze boring into my own. If I didn't know any better, she looked pissed at my accusations. "Luke would never do that to his sister," she hissed out.

I shook my head solemnly. "Luke's gone, Annabeth. Kronos crushed his soul; I saw it in a dream. For the past few nights, Kronos has been trying to hook up with me, and the last time he invaded my dreams, he told me I was going to be his queen whether I like it or not."

"Stop lying!" Annabeth screamed, her eyes glistening with tears as she clutched her injured arm. "I should let Clarisse kill you for your lies!"

"Thank you!" Clarisse exclaimed, looking pleased that someone else wanted me to die.

How did I prove to them that I had nothing to do with this? What had that boy sworn on? It took me a moment, but the oath came back to my memory.

"I swear on the River Styx I am not a spy for the Titans, and that everything I have said has been nothing but the truth."

Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and the unnamed boy shared matching expressions of shock and disbelief, but the girls continued to glare at me like I would spontaneously combust at any moment. I kept my gaze on my feet.

"I'm not lying," I repeated. "Kronos has been trying to use me for the past few days, but I find a way to escape every time. I don't know how much longer I can pull this off."

Clarisse slapped me, hard, across the face, sending me staggering back clutching my now stinging cheek.

"What the hell was that for?" I exclaimed. Damn, she packed a punch. I'd have to ice my face later, so I didn't get a bruise.

"If someone tries to use you, you tell someone you foolish girl!" Clarisse said. Raw anguish flashed across her face as she looked at Silena's unmoving body. "That's what killed my best friend. Don't let that happen to you." She then scowled, picking up a spear from the floor. "Enough sappiness-this is war! Kronos _will pay!"_ She charged into battle without any armor, but I had a feeling she really didn't need it.

"Sorry about my girlfriend," the unnamed boy said, looking sheepishly at my face, where Clarisse had slapped me. "She's overprotective of her loved ones."

"No kidding," I groaned. "Watch out!" I had enough time to grab a dagger and stab a harpy before it clawed at the boy.

He paled, drawing his sword before standing back to back with me as I grabbed my other dagger, prepared to dual wield. Not having time to conceal my bow, the two of us fought together, getting a feel for each other's fighting style. He liked to slash while I preferred to stab.

When we got a bit of a reprieve, he said, "Thanks for saving my hide. I'm Chris Rodriguez."

With a nod of my head, I twirled my daggers in my hand. "Ditto that. My name's Layla."

"No last name?" Chris grunted as he slashed at a hellhound that had gotten dangerously close. Oh, how I wish I had enough distance to use my bow!

"I don't want to be related to the people with my last name; but I _am_ a daughter of Hermes."

"No way! I'm a son of Hermes."

"Nice to meet you, bro." I ducked underneath a vial of something green, flinching as something blew up. "Great, now we have a fire to deal with."

I watched as Thalia ran into the middle of the fray, relaying a message to Percy and Annabeth. From my guess, Kronos was probably nearing the Empire State Building. Gods, this guy just didn't understand! NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE, YOU JERK!

I told Chris that I was going to fall back a little, heading back towards the entrance to Olympus. That was a huge mistake.

* * *

As of now, I was hidden behind a dumpster, where the Empire State Building dumped its trash. My fists were tightly clenched as I gingerly touched the open wound on my thigh. Biting my bottom lip to suppress a shout, I began tightly wrapping layer after layer of bandages on my thigh. I really hoped that the injury didn't hit any of my major arteries.

I tried pushing myself to stand, but if I tried to put _any_ weight on my bad leg, I collapsed. Thankfully for me, I saw old pieces of furniture sticking out of the dumpster. Using the spare bandages, I tied pieces of wood and old cushions together to make some kind of crutch. I had only eaten a small bit of ambrosia, learning that too much would make me burn up if I ingested too much.

Getting as far as the lobby of the building, I had to rest against the wall a few moments. This stupid injury was going to render me useless for the rest of the fight, making me extremely vulnerable. Scowling at my leg, I risked eating more ambrosia. Although I felt slightly feverish, I could put more weight on my leg now. I made a makeshift tourniquet, limping to the elevator as I punched the button reading _600._

By the time I reached Olympus, the sky bridge connecting the Empire State Building to Olympus was mostly gone. My leg would be the biggest thing weighing me down here. Although I had shouted at my father, I found myself praying to him for a burst of speed.

I started running on the crumbling bridge, leaping from solid patch to patch, gritting my teeth to prevent screaming bloody murder. As I reached the other side, my legs were left dangling over the edge while the rest of the bridge dissolved. I found Thalia pinned underneath a huge statue of some god.

"Thalia!" I shouted, kneeling beside her.

She groaned, straining to look up at me. "Layla, leave me here. Kronos is in the throne room. If he destroys the thrones, the gods will begin to fade."

I flinched as I voiced my thought. "You know how this is going to end, right?"

"I know Luke's going to die," she admitted sadly. "But that won't matter if Kronos kills our parents. Go! I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry," I said, hobbling to the throne room as fast as I could.

On the path, my head started to pound as I heard Mom's voice echo in my mind. " _Not my son! His fate! No! Luke, come back! Please!"_ I grit my teeth at the sound. I didn't want to be thinking about Mom when her _precious_ son got destroyed by the Titan hosting him. " _Hermes, help him! Help my son!"_

"Stop it," I muttered to myself, clutching my head on either side. "Stop it!"

Thankfully there was no one there to see me talking to myself, probably thinking that I was losing my sanity. I wasn't; but you try listening to your mother's amplified, raspy voice screaming about your brother's fate.

Why did Luke always have the spotlight? Even now as a freaking puppet he was more of a celebrity, though he was infamous. My mom preferred Luke over me. Hermes preferred Luke over me. I could tell that Annabeth and Thalia preferred Luke over me, too. Here I was, trying to protect Olympus while Luke was trying to tear it down brick by brick.

Kronos's evil cackle froze me in my tracks as I watched as he collapsed the floor underneath a boy clothed in all black. My instincts immediately thought it was Nico, but from the brief time I hung out with him, I doubt he would die that easily. My heart was hammering behind my ribcage; my palms were sweaty; I had no idea what to do.

I took a step back, biting my lips from screaming out as the floor collapsed under my weight like rotted wood. The only stable flooring was in the throne room. Gods, what did I do to deserve this? If this is my punishment for pissing Hermes off, then he really is the world's most deadbeat father.

I wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. Nothing I've faced in the last few nights would be enough to prepare me being in the same room as the Titan lord. There were my dreams, yes, but at least I knew I was safe in my bed. Here, with a flick of his wrist, Kronos could freeze me in my place without a second thought.

And that was exactly what happened.

He made a gesture with his hand, and I found my body completely immobile. I strained to move, completely aware of the restraint of time holding me still, but I couldn't even wiggle my fingers. His gold eyes bore into mine with a sort of predatorily hunger, sending shivers of disgust up my spine. Ugh, he's such a freaking creep! The others in the room-Percy, Annabeth, and Grover-were all in the same dilemma as me, except it appeared that their bonds weren't as strong. Was Kronos using more of his strength on me?

"Ah, there's my future queen," he said in an amused, yet dark voice. A triumphant smirk graced his lips-one that I would kill to slap off his face.

I couldn't even open my mouth to retort back. Yet, the others gave me matching looks of disgust. As if they were thinking: _Nothing good comes from Castellans. First Luke and now her. We should've imprisoned her when we had the chance._

Tears of shame and fear landed on my cheeks. Great, Kronos wouldn't let me move, yet he was willing to let my own misery be visible to all others. I wanted to shout that I wasn't a traitor, that I had nothing to do with Kronos, but seeing as I couldn't respond, the evidence was pretty damning.

"Such a pretty face that you have," Kronos commented, grinning sadistically.

Finally I found my voice. "Lay off, you prick! I don't love you!"

His eyes turned a few shades darker (whether it was from lust or anger, I wasn't sure), and his glare made me feel like he was staring right through my body. He then went to caress my cheek, making my body shudder in disgust. I felt so violated, but I knew that Kronos would be easier to manipulate if I went along with it.

"And so feisty, too! You'll be able to keep my family in line."

Gag me! Please? Anyone?! This guy should be locked away for child molesting! And, you know, cannibalism, murder, assault and battery, and anything else this bastard may have committed in his sadist lifestyle. Didn't Kronos also threaten Rhea to marry him in the myths? Great, another thing to tack onto the never ending list of his crimes against innocents.

I relaxed in my bonds. Then I began to imagine of anything that would give me the strength to fight my brother. At first, I tried focusing on the bitterness and resentment I had always held against Luke, using that as a fuel to ignite my anger and fight back. But then I realized something…

…I never really got a chance to know my brother.

I only remembered his broken promise to me.

I don't remember ever turning to Luke for help when I was a toddler. I don't remember ever helping him clean the house while Mom continued making cookies. I don't even remember him talking to me except for that last day when he left.

Truly, it was like I grew up an only child. The only thing was that Mom ignored my existence, rambling on and on about Luke's fate, while I had to take care of myself in order to survive. It was a miracle in itself that no one called child services against Mom despite the fact that everyone considered her to be a nutjob.

Anyways…How was I supposed to fight against someone who might as well have been a stranger? How am I supposed to fight someone who is wholly related to me when I never got a chance to ever meet who they truly were?

My answer: I don't know.

"Considering my offer, I see," interrupted Kronos with an amused tone, breaking my train of thought. "You're smart, just like your brother."

"If my brother was so smart," I growled out through grit teeth, _"then why are you in his body?"_

Kronos held a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "You wound me with your words. Truly, you do. But you are still such a naïve child, despite your bravery and loyalty to the gods." His amused expression then gave way to one of absolute loathing, and he slammed the butt of his scythe on the already unstable ground, causing for a tremor to shake Olympus' foundation. My teeth were shaking in my mouth from how hard the ground shook under my feet. "That is my one problem with you, Layla Castellan. You are still loyal to the gods."

"They're better rulers than you would ever be!" I felt heat rushing to my face from how angry Kronos was making me.

"And how would you know anything about that? Everyone said they cared about me!"

I blinked, but quickly acted on Kronos' mistake. "You said me…as in Luke's still in there!"

Kronos grimaced, clutching his head in distress. At that moment, I felt all his time bonds loosen up to the point where I could freely move. Grover had wrenched his scythe from the Titan's hand, throwing it towards Hestia's hearth. Percy had ran over to Annabeth, helping her up seeing as one of her arms was bent like she had been recently injured.

"No, _I_ am in control!" Kronos screeched, quickly running towards his scythe. An arrow nearly embedded itself in his hand as he reached for the handle of the blade.

I smirked, notching another arrow immediately. Just as I went to shoot, those cursed time bonds were restored. Percy was still free, though, and he matched Kronos blow for blow in a flurry of slashes and parries and a bunch of other swordsmanship terms I had yet to learn. As Percy went to kick Kronos in the chest, he took a step back, looking at the deep gash Percy had cut in his breastplate.

I cursed mentally. Percy could continue swinging at Kronos all day, but none of it would matter if he couldn't find his Achilles heel. I already knew what he had seen in the River Styx-Annabeth, Thalia, and me-but I didn't know how I could use that knowledge against him.

During my thought process, Kronos had thrown Grover into some Olympian's throne, and Annabeth was holding her ground against him with her dagger. Somehow, Kronos' scythe was now a full-fledged sword, one side glinting gold, while the other resembled mortal steel.

"Luke!" Annabeth shouted, pain flaring in her eyes as her bad arm was beginning to bend in what must've been an extremely awkward angle. "I know that you're still in there! You're keeping Kronos back even now!"

"Are you crazy?" Percy shouted back. "Luke's dead, Annabeth!"

Like hell he was, I thought to myself, still cursing Kronos out for freezing me in time. I then felt something beginning to burn my side like fire. My leg was still badly injured, but being frozen prevented me from putting any weight on the injury, so I knew that wasn't the cause of the burning. I quelled down a scream as the heat intensified, feeling as if my blood was slowly turning to boiling hot.

Finally, the heat was so intense that it burned through the time bonds, causing for me to fall onto my knees. This time, I did scream as I landed on my bad knee. Thankfully no one looked at me, and Percy and Annabeth continued to hold their own weight against Kronos.

I reached for whatever was causing me so much agony, pulling out Cassy's silver necklace from my pocket. Instead of being an ordinary necklace when she had given it to me, it was glowing a shimmering gold that refused to remotely cool down, instead continuing to heat up. What was going on?!

I held the necklace by its chain, limping as fast as I could to where Percy was fighting Kronos. Annabeth kept muttering something about a cursed blade. But what was scaring me the most was that Kronos had begun to glow the same shade of gold as the crucifix.

My blood chilled as I heard another person's voice speak: "You can't…can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I can…can keep him controlled."

Percy stood still for a few moments, before scooping up Annabeth's bloodied dagger. He then handed it over to Luke.

"No!" I shouted, knocking the dagger out of Luke's hands.

"Lay-Layla?" Luke rasped out, his skin burning me just as badly as the necklace had. "What…are you doing?"

"Saving your life, dumbass!" Tears welled in my eyes as I saw the golden glow intensify around Luke. Kronos was starting to fully take over.

"Layla, you can't fight prophecies!" Grover hissed out. Percy had been grabbing the dagger again, prepared to hand it to Luke once more. "Let Percy give Luke the dagger!"

" _Stay away from my brother!"_

"Layla…please," Luke pleaded, his eyes also shining with tears. "I don't…I don't want you to see me."

"Just, shut up, okay? You'll be fine." I had no idea if I was lying to him or not, but I strung the necklace around Luke's neck, pressing the burning charm into his chest. Luke began howling in pain, and the fire finally ignited, consuming him completely.

"No!" Annabeth cried out in anguish, causing for Percy and Grover to hold her back. "You're killing him!"

My lips moved in a silent prayer, the fire not affecting me at all. I honestly don't even remember what I was saying, the words just flowing out of me. My grip around Luke's shoulders was unyielding, not allowing him to move despite his constant writhing. His screams cut at my heart, but I trusted Cassy more than him. If she said this necklace would be the light in the bleakest times-and this definitely qualified as a bleak time-I would believe her completely.

All at once the fire died out.

And I screamed at what I saw in front of me.


	7. Chapter 7

I felt someone shaking my shoulders roughly, but I couldn't see them. I couldn't even make out a voice from how numb I felt inside. It all sounded like gibberish as I stared at the blurry form in my vision, where I could clearly see a puddle of red surrounding a fallen body.

No…this couldn't be happening.

Cassy had promised that it would save him.

Or I'm just the biggest idiot on the face of the Earth.

I finally came to my senses when a resounding and stinging slap landed on my cheek. For a second I thought it was Clarisse again, but I quickly saw that it was Annabeth. She appeared as grief-stricken as I felt.

"Get up," she growled, venom lacing in her voice. "Get away from my brother."

I struggled to my feet, my bad knee protesting in utter agony. I still managed to glare at Annabeth, though. She had no idea what I was going through. "He's _my_ brother," I spat back.

Annabeth stopped glaring, instead adopting an expression of complete blankness. "Yet you killed him. You're a monster."

She took her dagger back from Percy's hand, walking briskly towards Grover, who was passed out at the foot of a throne. Percy was still frozen in the room, but it was from shock, not Kronos. He kept glancing between his friends and me, his lips being bitten as he decided where he was going to be.

As for me, I got closer to Luke's burned body-if you could call it that anymore. The blood pooling around him had been from his outermost layer of skin burning off, so all that was left was the tender pink color of his flesh, which was bleeding spottily in some places, while in other parts the flesh was just pitch black. His hair was in patches on his scalp, leaving various bald spots on his head. All that was left of his clothes were his singed jeans, which had burned up until his upper thigh. His entire body was covered in a thin layer of ash and soot, adding more gray to an already ashen body.

Gently, I stroked the side of his face, careful not to touch the humongous burn running from his temple to the tip of his ear. I don't know where people get the saying that people look peaceful at death; Luke just looked dead. His chest was unmoving, and I could feel no heartbeat as I rested my hand against his chest, hoping to feel something, though I knew it was highly unlikely that he'd suddenly wake up.

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled to myself, swallowing painfully as I felt a lump in my throat. Blinking twice, I managed to prevent my tears from spilling over. Not now. Luke didn't need to see me cry, especially not over him. "I should've let Percy give you the damn dagger. Or, I should've been able to figure out how to reverse the curse of Achilles." I cracked a small smile. "Kronos told me, you know? Told me who you saw in the Styx."

For what seemed like an eternity, I was silent, still drawing circles on Luke's slowly paling face, ignoring the feeling of his blood seeping into my clothes. The necklace had burned away when the fire stopped, leaving a huge black outline of a cross branded into the space between Luke's collarbone. I know I'm not deeply religious, but I hope that Luke wouldn't mind.

Gods, why am I thinking about Luke like he was still here? I know he's dead. If I try to convince myself otherwise, I'll still know that I'm lying to myself. Every lie has a sliver of truth to it.

I heard someone clearing their throat, and I instinctively looked up, my body tensing. My nerves were still on edge, and I didn't know if the next person on Olympus would be an enemy or not. When my eyes caught on Hermes, who tried to hide behind a guy that held an uncanny resemblance to Will, I realized that the Olympians had arrived.

Struggling to kneel, I said, "My lords and ladies, we need a shroud. A shroud for…for my brother."

* * *

 **Luke's POV**

I never knew dying could be so painful. Wasn't it supposed to be you see a light and that's it? But no, I felt as every single fiber of my being ignited with that golden fire as Kronos wailed alongside my own screams.

I never knew Layla would be capable of murder. Then again, the last time I actually spoke to Layla she was barely capable of speaking. I had seen her last winter, right before getting the curse of Achilles, but while I was talking with Mom, she just eavesdropped on the conversation, absolutely refusing to see me. I couldn't blame her. I mean, I left her with Mom after all. It had been too much for me at nine, and I can only imagine being stuck there for what? Sixteen, maybe seventeen years now?

We were more alike than it seemed. We both could hold grudges like nothing else in this world, and we shared a common grudge against our parents. It infuriates me that Hermes left me with Mom, but it pisses me off even more that he knocked my mom up again, resulting in Layla. Now, I'm not saying that my sister is a mistake, but Hermes should've stayed away. He should've realized that my mom couldn't handle raising me, let alone another baby. He should've been there for the son he already had with my mother instead of trying to rekindle any feelings they might've shared before Mom went insane.

And this is exactly why I turned to Kronos. Hermes should've been there many times in my life-as well as the lives of all his other children-but like every other Olympian, they'll leave some poor mortal either pregnant or with a child on their doorstep. I stupidly thought that by joining Kronos things would change, but I never realized how much of a tool I was until he possessed me.

It felt wrong, being possessed. I could feel his consciousness forcing my own in the edge of my mindscape, practically making me a third-wheel in my own life. I watched as Kronos fought, negotiated, and tried to seduce Layla multiple times (GROSS), and I could do nothing. At times, I'd be able to break through his concentration, but he quickly shoved me back again, and I became his puppet once more. One of the worst parts was the fact that while I couldn't access any of Kronos' memories, he could access all of mine, using what information I knew to get what he wanted.

"Pay up, boy," a gruff, male voice told me, his eyes as empty as those of a human skull. He was wearing an expensive Italian suit, but it looked more like a bellboy's uniform to me. His posture was stiff straight, through his fingers continued drumming on the wooden edge of his podium. "Well?" he demanded.

I patted down my pockets, feeling the man glare daggers into the back of my head. I was just about to admit that I had nothing to pay him with, but a girl shoved to the front of the line. She reminded me painfully of Layla in how she held herself-confident but arrogant. Smiling gracefully, the girl deposited a stack of at least ten drachmas onto the man's podium.

"He's with me, Charon," she said cordially, going so far as to wink at the ferryman.

Charon ran his fingers over the golden coins greedily, snatching them up and into his suit as if someone was going to rob him. "Take him away, Cassy," he said stiffly, nodding in my direction. "One less demigod to deal with in my lobby."

"Enjoy your raise," she-Cassy-quipped, grabbing me by the wrist as we entered the elevator, Charon trailing right behind us.

The elevator descended for a few seconds, before making me feel like I was on a boat. That's when I realized that I _was_ on a boat, Charon paddling us across the gloomy, polluted waters of the Styx. I shuddered as the Styx's waters lapped at the side of the boat, remembering how painful it had been the last time I was here.

Cassy continued leading me through the Underworld, zipping through the E-Z DEATH line undetected with me. I was sure that the Furies or Hades himself would make sure I was sent to Punishment, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, shoving my way through the barrage of dead souls in Asphodel.

"To see my boss," she answered, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I don't know why you're so important to Him, but I'm not one to ignore orders." She finally stopped, turning to face me. Her eyes scanned my face like she was a FBI agent on a mission to kill. "You look like my best friend."

"I've never met you before, so I don't know who you're best friend is."

Cassy narrowed her brown eyes, a dangerous glint shining in this black darkness. "Oh, so you don't know Thea Castellan? Pardon me, then."

"Thea?" I questioned. "Do you mean Layla?"

She waved my question off. "So you _are_ Thea's jerk brother who was possessed by Satan. I see that my necklace worked."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. This entire situation was confusing me. I had never met Cassy before, yet she seemed to know my baby sister. That sent me on edge as it was, but then hearing that she had been the one that gave Layla the necklace that had burned me to death made my distrust in this girl grow even more.

"Hush, boy," she growled. "You're lucky I haven't pushed you into Hell for all you've done to Thea. My boss' grace is the only thing keeping you safe right now. Even in death you have many enemies that would love for your soul to dissolve."

In a more reluctant manner than before, she grabbed my wrist again in a bruising manner, continuing the trek through the Underworld once more.

* * *

 **Layla's POV**

Hours later Olympus had finally settled down. Shrouds had been burned, except for Luke's, which the Fates themselves had taken away. Seeing those three wrinkly old ladies had sent shivers down my spine as they had held a thin blue wire over Luke's body and cut the string. Later, gifts had been handed out by the gods, and in a shocking turn of events, Percy turned down immortality to make sure that all demigods were treated equally at camp. I couldn't help but think that Luke's betrayal against the gods and all the deaths in this war had been enough to convince the son of Poseidon that things needed to change to keep the peace.

As of now, the Muses were playing their music, and everyone was dancing. The guests of honor, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Nico, and Thalia had all left after someone mentioned the Oracle, but everyone else stayed behind to party.

Apparently the music sounded differently to everyone who heard it, but for me, all I heard was a funeral dirge. People kept asking for the music to be turned up, but all I wanted was for the noise to cease. I didn't want to be surrounded by reminders of death any more.

As I sat alone with my thoughts in the marketplace of Olympus, the minor gods came out of hiding, beginning to rebuild their homes and shops while generally ignoring me as I sulked. When the Muses finally caved into the pressure asking for louder music, I left Olympus, unable to listen to one more depressing note coming from an organ piano.

0o0o

I eventually ended up at Camp Half-Blood again, not knowing where else to go. My thoughts wandered towards my home, where Mom was. I could only imagine the mess she must've made by now in the kitchen: heaps of scorched cookies; mountains of moldy sandwiches; gallons and gallons of cherry Kool-Aid everywhere. And was she taking care of herself? I had no answer to my own question.

My legs were dangling off the edge of the Big House porch, hearing faint voices talking inside. I hope that the whole debacle with the Oracle had been settled, because no one else needs to go insane due to that old mummy. Thalia had told me about the curse on the Oracle Hades had placed on her, and from a dream I saw that Mom tried to become the Oracle after having Luke. It was bad enough that Mom wasn't a virgin when she tried to take the oath, but there was the added curse, too-a recipe for disaster.

The sun had long since set when I heard the sound of someone sitting next to me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw all black clothing, and figured it was Nico di Angelo. He made no move to speak, until a few minutes later, he said, "It's painful, isn't it?"

I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion, turning myself to face him. "What is?"

"You know, losing a sibling? Especially a full-blooded one."

"Yeah, it is." I sighed, messing with my hair nervously. "It's just different for me, I guess, because I never really knew him. This sadness I feel…I don't know if it's because I actually loved him, or if I'm sad that I truly never had a brother."

"I can't imagine not ever loving Bianca." Nico's voice was low and quiet, letting me know that this was extremely painful for him to talk about. "I see all these siblings around here, only related by their godly parent, and when one of them die, the entire cabin grieves." He shook his head solemnly. "They'll never experience the pain of losing a sibling with the same set of parents."

"For what it's worth," I said, "I'm sorry."

Nico looked at me weirdly, like I had grown a second head. "You didn't cause this war, Layla, so you have nothing to apologize for. If anyone needs to pay, it'd be your ass of a brother."

We let the silence hand between us for a while. Nico was fidgeting with his ring in a nervous manner.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Nico? You look unsettled."

He stayed silent for a few moments longer. "How…how do you admit to someone else that you like them? My sister knew everything about me, but hiding this one secret is extremely painful."

I smiled. I wasn't expecting this kind of topic coming up with the typically brooding son of Hades, but I fully indulged him, happy to be having some company for the first time in a while without people screaming at me.

* * *

That night, I wasn't sure if I was having a nightmare of a dream. Instead of all my dead friends reappearing again, I only saw Cassy. She was smiling smugly, like she knew something I didn't, which made no sense seeing that she was dead.

"Look who survived the apocalypse," Cassy said jovially, hugging me tightly. I could feel pride rolling off her in waves.

Meanwhile, I was biting my lips from spewing profanities at her. She said that the necklace would be able to help, but I didn't thing help meant killing my brother. Maybe I would feel more at peace with his death if I had let Percy give Luke the dagger. At least then I would know it wasn't my hand that had killed him.

"How are you doing?"

"Alright, I guess," I mumbled.

Cassy looked at me sympathetically. She patted me on the shoulder in affection, which between us meant good luck. "Well, I have something that should raise your spirits!"

"Please tell me that this doesn't involve drugs or alcohol," I groaned. "Abby and Hannah are doing better up here, right?" They were the ones that usually abused those things the most, saying it made them forget about all the pain they had to go through. But Richard and Cassy never touched the stuff, staying as far away as they could while still hanging out with the sisters.

Cassy giggled like a little school girl. "No, silly! I still have my morals about that kind of thing, Thea." Her smile gave way to a more serious expression as she said, "It's up to you whether you want your present, okay? If it's too painful, we'll send it where it belongs."

"O-okay?" I answered, unsure of what to respond to her cryptic directions.

"I'll go get it." Cassy turned, flapping her wings a few times, before carrying something on her back, mindful of her wings, back towards the ground. She then landed, the thing disembarking from their ride.

That's when I realized that the thing wasn't a thing, but a person. A person I could recognize by heart by now from all the unpleasant encounters we've shared. I narrowed my eyes as he shifted his weight on his feet, clearly uncomfortable by my presence.

"Luke," I growled out, my hands clenched into fists at my side.

"Hey, sis."

* * *

 **Sorry for such a short chapter, but my life has been pretty hectic lately. And thanks for all the kind reviews I got last chapter! You guys rock!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Two chapters in one day? Go me! XD Don't get used to this, but please enjoy today's double update!**

* * *

I've lost count of how many people have tried to burn down the Hermes cabin today. Even I tried and restrained myself at least ten times. Every other camper glared at my father's cabin, with eager eyes hoping that something would happen, killing the person hiding in there. Chiron actually had to place Argus outside the cabin to make sure none of the Ares, Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus kids would get revenge on Luke for killing their siblings.

Yes, Cassy's ever so gracious gift to me was restoring Luke's life. She had said that he had shown repentance (whatever that meant to her) for what he did to everyone, but I didn't believe it for a moment. I'm pretty sure anyone would say anything if it meant getting a second chance at life.

I remember that at the end of breakfast when Luke had shown up, both Clarisse and Will had sent me a look saying: _we need to talk._ We met up behind the Big House, while campers were heading off to their first activity of the day.

"Did you know about this?" Clarisse asked harshly, her hand twitching around the handle of her spear.

"No!" I exclaimed, rubbing my bracelet nervously. "I didn't even know that the dead could come back! Isn't Hades super strict about this kind of thing?"

"Whatever the case," Will added, pausing to glare at the Hermes cabin in the distance, "I wish he wasn't here. I'm sorry to say this, Layla, but I think he'd be better off dead."

I sighed, running a hand through my ponytail. "So do I, guys. He's caused so much pain to everyone here, and I certainly don't trust him, even if he is my brother. He's got _a lot_ to make up for."

"But why him?" Clarisse hissed out, anger and sadness shining brightly in her nougat brown eyes. "That punk killed Beckendorf and blackmailed Silena, and scammed gods-knows how many other demigods into working for him! Why is _he_ alive, when all the other people that _died_ as _heroes_ remain dead?!"

Will muffled a sob with the back of his hand. "Yeah! Luke is responsible for killing Michael and Lee, my older brothers! I'm now in charge of the entire Apollo cabin, and I'm only thirteen!" His resolve finally broke down as he started crying.

I pulled the younger son of Apollo in to a hug, letting him cry into my shoulder as I caressed his hair. Clarisse no longer looked as angry, but instead deeply sympathetic at the younger boy. She sighed in resignation, twirling her spear once, before striking the ground with the butt of the handle.

"We'll deal with Luke's betrayal later," instructed Clarisse, "with all the cabin heads. I'm inviting you with the Stoll brothers as the Hermes representative." She awkwardly patted Will's back. "Sorry for fighting with your brothers, kiddo."

"Not y-your fault," Will sniffed out, drying his puffy eyes. "Michael was always super stubborn." He sniffed one more time, before adding, "I'll tell the other cabins we'll be holding a meeting. Later today sound good?"

"Yeah, perfect," I said, still hugging Will. "I'll let the Stolls know. What about Chris?"

"I'll bring him, too."

I nodded my head in understanding as Clarisse left. "How about you, Will? Are you going with your cabin to their activities?"

"I have to as cabin head," he said softly, slowly backing up from me. Will sighed, hanging his head low in defeat. "I just hope that I'll be able to manage the responsibility."

"If you ever need help, whether it be as a cabin head or in the infirmary, please, let me know." I raised his head with my hand, causing for him to look into my eyes. I gave him what I hoped to be a reassuring smile. "And if you need me to watch the younger kids, I'd do that too. Okay? I'll be there to always help if you need it."

"Why are you so nice to me?" Will asked, bewilderment in his voice. "I judged you based on your background when I first met you, and-"

"I'm nice to you, because you remind me of me," I interrupted him. "At your age, I was forced to take care of my mom at home, while balancing school, and having to work small jobs as well. My friends could help out some of the time, but they mostly had their own lives to attend to. I would've loved to have someone I knew would always be there for me, even when the going was tough."

"But…isn't that what older siblings do?"

I smiled widely at that. "Yeah, they do. So think of me as your adoptive big sister."

Will giggled in happiness. "I've never had an older sister before."

"Well, now you do." I slung an arm over his shoulders, ruffling his hair affectionately with my free hand. "I'll always be here if you need me, Will."

"Thanks."

The two of us then went our own separate ways, Will heading towards archery, and me going to basic sword training.

* * *

As much as I didn't want to be in the same room as Luke, I didn't want to be eaten by the cleaning harpies either. Seeing Luke was the lesser of two evils, I decided, and entered the Hermes cabin.

"Layla," Luke said not even a second after I had entered.

I made an obvious effort to ignore him like my half-siblings had done. With all of the new cabins being built around camp, the children of minor gods were beginning to move out, giving us more room. The other kids of Hermes had bedsheets covering their bunks like curtains, partitioning their space from where Luke was. My bed was the only one without sheets cutting me off from Luke.

"Did someone say something?" I asked Chris, who had entered the cabin a few seconds before me.

He shook his head, his eyes lit up in amusement. "I didn't hear anything."

"Oh, come on! Seriously?" Luke complained.

The two of us just shrugged his voice off, and I went to change into my pajamas. Acting like Luke was invisible was the punishment all the cabin heads had settled on, except for Annabeth and Percy, who argued that by avoiding Luke, we would cause for him to become bitter again. I was only going to keep this up for maybe a day or two, because honestly, I had too much to talk to Luke about to never talk to him again.

"Lights out!" Travis and Connor Stoll called out, flicking the lights of the cabin out.

A good hour passed before all the flashlights had turned off, but I was still awake, my mind racing a million miles per hour. Sighing, I grabbed the small flashlight I kept under my bunk, carefully getting out of bed. I walked over to where Luke was sleeping, harshly jerking him awake, before nodding towards the door. He nodded his head in understanding, hastily grabbing his own flashlight as well.

I led Luke towards the edge of the woods, where a small clearing was. Will had shown it to me earlier in the day, wanting to talk more about our past before dinner. I made sure that no harpies were heading our way, but I still covered my flashlight with my hand if I didn't really need the light.

"So, you done pretending I don't exist?" Luke asked me pointedly, looking at me in a patronizing manner.

"You don't get to look at me like that," I reprimanded. "That was the most docile punishment we could come up with. Unless, you wanted to make repairs to all the cabins as well as have dish-duty for however long you plan on staying here."

Luke grimaced. "I guess this punishment is more bearable."

"Thought so." I crossed my arms over my chest. "That was Clarisse's idea, by the way. She _really_ wants to beat you to a pulp."

"I wouldn't blame her. Not at all." Luke fisted a clump of his hair, giving an exasperated sigh. "I would want to beat myself to a pulp, if I could. What I did was unforgivable."

"To whom?" I demanded. "I can see the campers forgiving you in time, as long as you do some penance."

"I sense a but coming."

I glared at Luke for interrupting me. " _But,"_ I emphasized the word, "you broke your promise to me. You left me with _her!_ I was six, Luke! Do you know what it's like to live with an insane woman, desperately waiting for a son that will never come home?!"

"Layla, I-"

"Shut up! Because you will never know what that feels like! You will never know the pain of having to grow up at six! At ten Mom called me crazy for suggesting that you might not be coming back. On my birthday, too! Then, when I turned fourteen, I had to start working to get food on the table for the two of us as well as keeping us clothed. I kept getting more jobs, managed school, and got to hang out with friends, while making sure Mom was okay. Then all of my friends except for one _died."_

I stopped to catch my breath, feeling my body trembling in anger as tears pricked the back of my eyes.

"I had no one to turn to through all of this, except for Nicole, until she decided that our friendship had become too strained with all these deaths, leaving me alone once more. And as if all of that wasn't bad enough, Mom _never_ acknowledged my presence! She always called me Luke, and when I corrected her, she looked so disappointed and would go cry over _your_ photo album! There is not one photograph of me in the house! And my life changed when your _girlfriend_ Kelli killed my teacher, saying she was going to bring me to you as a gift. That was when I found your damn note, and I realized you knew I was still alive, but you never came back. _You never came back!"_

That was the straw that broke the camel's back as I freely broke down crying, pushing Luke away roughly when he tried to comfort me. I could take care of myself-have been ever since I was six.

"I-I never knew," Luke said softly, his face sickly pale. "If I had known-"

I gave a watery laugh. "Don't lie to me, Luke. You would've never come back so long as our Mother was alive."

"Was?! Is Mom dead?"

"Don't know." I shrugged, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. I turned the flashlight off, shoving it into the waistband of my pants as I turned to face Luke again. "I haven't spoken to her in a week. I doubt the mold will kill her yet."

Luke appeared to be absolutely appalled. "Mom's going to die?"

"Luke, we're all going to die," I told him deadpan. "I promised myself to check in on Mom every two weeks. I'm going to visit in three days."

"But…what should I…?" Luke seemed at a loss for words, not knowing what to say.

"Don't even bother. You never really cared about Mom, or you would've stayed."

"Layla, that's not fair," Luke protested. "You're not the one she screamed about your fate to!"

"But I'm the one that endured the pain of being neglected for seventeen years! And the screaming about _your_ fate? Well, she would grab me, thinking I was you, digging her nails into my shoulders so hard that she would make me bleed. I still have the scars." I pushed past Luke, clicking my flashlight on. "The only good thing you ever did for me was give me my bracelet."

"What bracelet?" Luke asked.

I froze. Was he really that absentminded that he forgot about the concealed bow he had given me. I held out my wrist with the caduceus charm dangling. "This one," I told him, illuminating the bronze chain.

"I never got you that," he said, shaking his head. "The last time I went home was for Mom's blessing, and I immediately left afterwards."

"But…the note said," my voice trailed off.

"What note are you talking about?"

So Luke hadn't even written the note. That rose the question: who did? I knew that Olympians gave their children gifts sometimes: Percy has Riptide, Annabeth has her invisibility cap, Thalia had Aegis, and Nico has his sword. Will said that Michael had gotten a few sonic arrows from Apollo before. This must've been a gift from Hermes, then, I figured. At least I had a weapon.

"Nothing," I snapped. "I'm going back to bed, and you should, too. The harpies don't care that you're older than twenty, they'll eat you just the same." I then gave Luke a sweet smile, which was so fake, you could _see_ the sarcasm. "Sweet dreams, _brother."_

I left the clearing, leaving a dumbfounded Luke in the woods.

* * *

The next few days, I resumed ignoring Luke, the only indication that I noticed him being the glares I'd shoot in his direction. When the Hermes cabin was up at archery, I purposely shot an arrow that narrowly missed Luke's side, cutting only through his shirt without breaking any skin.

Finally, three days had passed, and I was already packed to spend the weekend at home. It wasn't that I wanted to go home, but I did need to check on Mom. I can only imagine how much food must be flooding the first floor without me to clean it up.

My visit had already been cleared with Chiron, and Argus would drive me to the bus station, where I'd go back to Connecticut from there. My ticket had been given to me by Hermes, who was trying to make up for our argument we had during the war. I was still pretty resentful, but I was slowly starting to trust in him a little bit more. As for the other man in my life, he still hadn't earned an ounce of trust or respect from me. As far as I know, only Percy and Annabeth acknowledge Luke's existence, and all of camp knows who they are.

I was just about to cross the threshold of camp's barriers, when I saw someone sobbing at the base of Thalia's tree. I mean, heartbroken sobbing, like everything they loved in this world had vanished into thin air. It took me a moment to realize that it was Luke, curled up like a baby, his body wracked with tears.

Guilt overwhelmed me instantly. How did I let this go on for this long? Luke's tried to make up for his mistake, even going as so far to not try to begin conversations with people who have been ignoring him for the past week, including me. Here I was, getting a second chance to have an older brother, and I was treating him like week-old garbage.

Argus' hundred eyes blinked at me, his eye on the back of his hand winking at me as he motioned to the van. I mouthed one second, before walking and crouching beside the tree. I gently touched Luke's shoulder, causing for him to flinch violently before sitting up, his eyes wild with fear.

"Oh, it's just you," he said, sounding extremely relieved. "Thank the gods."

I noticed the cuts and scrapes on Luke's face, as well as the bruise the size of a fist on his neck. Someone had even reopened the scar on his cheek, the skin an angry red as if it was infected. Luke grimaced after realizing what I was looking at, turning towards the bark of the tree.

"Don't look at me like that, Layla," he pleaded. "I'm not some abandoned puppy."

I turned his head to face me. "No," I told him, "but you look like an abandoned human. Listen, I'm really sorry for ignoring you, but I was still dealing with a whole lot of anger, which I took out on you. I understand if you don't forgive me, but I don't want to see you be this hurt and depressed anymore." I got out of my crouch, dusting the dirt off my knees as I stood up. "I'm going to visit Mom for the weekend. Want to come with? I think it'll do you some good to get some time away from camp."

Luke paused for two seconds, finding the ground extremely interesting during this period of time. He relented, getting to his feet, while clapping the dirt off his hands and clothes. "Are you sure about this?" he asked as we walked to the van.

I shrugged. "Mom will be happy to see you. She'll probably be screaming at Hermes that he was wrong about your fate."

He winced at that, but didn't reply.

On the ride to the bus station, I had forced Luke to eat a small square of ambrosia for his injuries. We didn't need people staring at us the entire ride to Connecticut. I even gave him his two daggers back, seeing as he didn't have a sword anymore. Thankfully, the Mist concealed the daggers, making them look like wallets or something, so no alarms were raised.

A two hour bus ride and one thirty minute taxi drive later, we were standing in front of our Colonial home. The weeds had grown out of control on the front walkway, and the stuffed Greek monsters were still on the front porch. Between some hydra heads, some plant was sprouting. The wind chimes jingled pleasantly as the warm summer breeze blew past.

I glanced over at Luke once before rummaging through my backpack for my house keys. His skin was white as a sheet; his hands wouldn't stop fidgeting; he kept rocking back and forth on the soles of his feet; and he kept pulling on his hair while biting his lips. I knew better than to ask if he was okay; it was obvious that he was nervous of coming home.

I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, causing for Luke to nearly jump over the porch's railing and into the rose bushes. "It'll be fine. Trust me on this." I opened the door, causing for it to swing open on its rusted hinges.

The stench of smoke slapped me in the face as I walked in, ending with me in a coughing fit for a few seconds. Right. I usually left some windows open while Mom baked, but she must've shut them sometime after I left. With my eyes watering, I opened all the windows downstairs, fanning the smoke away from my face.

"Mom!" I called out, my voice echoing off the mirror-covered walls. "I'm home! And I brought Luke!"

"Luke?!" came Mom's reply, and I swear, she nearly threw herself down the stairs. I don't even remember hearing her footsteps when I heard Luke grunt as the two fell to the ground, Mom's arms tightly crushing Luke's chest in a hug.

"Can't…breathe…" Luke gasped out, his face turning a bright red.

With all my strength, I pulled Mom off of Luke, leaving him to take as many deep breaths as he needed. Mom was smiling like a maniac, but there was still that gleam of insanity in her fractured blue eyes. Damn, I wished this was one of the times she lapsed into saneness.

"Mom?" I asked, tapping her shoulder. "Did you miss me?"

"Why would I miss you?" she asked bluntly, giving me an indifferent glance. "Who _are_ you?"

"Mom!" Luke shouted, horrified that Mom would say that to me.

I didn't feel hurt from her questions, sad as it may be. I had gotten used to my mom thinking that I was a complete and utter stranger, so I guess that's why name calling at school never really got to me.

"It's okay, Luke, really," I said softly. "Hang out with Mom for a bit; I'll start cleaning the kitchen. Come to help when you're done?"

"Of course, Layla."

I nodded my head once, before dropping my backpack on the couch and grabbing a pair of latex gloves and a mask. Then, I got to work.

* * *

My nightmare started with me being pinned against a wall with someone's lips attached to my neck. I growled in anger, trying to thrash around, or even punch the guy trying to leave a hickey on me, but I was immobile…like Kronos had done with me.

The only reason I knew I was in a nightmare at all was the fact that it was still Luke's body with gold eyes trying to have his way with me, speaking with the voice of Kronos. But I knew it within me that Kronos couldn't possibly have enough strength to be able to host someone this soon after his defeat.

Considering how Luke and mine's relationship had started to get considerably better during this visit, it felt all kind of wrong to feel his calloused hand running up and down my thigh, trying to sneak into my pants. When Kronos started to kiss me, I bit down until I drew blood, a tactic that I had done multiple times on the Titan.

Kronos could no longer speak in these dreams, thank the gods, but his intentions were clear in the cold gleam of his eyes. I gasped in pain as he backhanded my cheek, leaving a painful sting behind. I continued glaring straight back at Kronos, not giving into his hopes of making me fear him. Blow after blow landed on my body, and I still couldn't move.

Just as Kronos pulled out his scythe in the form of his sword, Backbiter, to stab me through the chest, I woke up with a scream, panting heavily.

Seeing the walls of my room freaked me out for a second, because I was so certain that I had been on the _Princess Andromeda_ just a few seconds ago. My chest heaved up and down, and I could hear my blood rushing in my ears. The door to my room flung open, revealing a frantic Luke looking around the room for a monster.

Seeing how I was reacting, Luke sat next to me on the bed. "Nightmare?" Luke asked.

I just nodded, not trusting my voice to work well enough to speak. It was bad enough that Kronos had tried to rape me within Luke's body, but it took all my willpower to not cower away from Luke, even though I knew he was back in control. I had too many close calls to feel safe.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Please?" I said in a small voice, shifting in bed so that Luke had enough space to lay down.

Luke's scarred face broke out into a small yet triumphant grin as he pulled the sheets over him. I cuddled into his chest, yearning for warmth, so unlike the coldness those gold eyes held. Luke's hand continued messing with my hair, and before I knew it, I was back in Morpheus' embrace.

* * *

The next day, I received an Iris message while I was dusting everything. I don't know what shocked me more, seeing someone's face through a rainbow, or seeing that it was Thalia who had called. It appeared as if she was in the middle of the woods, surrounded by girls who were pitching silver tents. So she was with the Hunters it seemed.

"Hi, Thalia," I greeted, setting down my roll of paper towels and Windex (don't judge, it gets the dust out better than any duster could do). "What can I do for you?"

Thalia's electric blue eyes sparked mischievously, and there was a knowing smile on her lips, like she was in on some joke that I was the subject about. Her silver circlet was gleaming brighter than I last remembered, but that must've been Artemis' blessing, seeing as they were more in the wild now than they had been in Manhattan.

"Are you by yourself?"

"Uh, yeah," I answered slowly. Luke had gone to see how our town had changed, and Mom, well, she hadn't let Luke out of her sight ever since he returned. If it wasn't for the fact that she was our mother, I'm pretty sure people would think of her as a stalker or a child molester. "Why?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I don't want to talk to Luke right now."

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "Is that all you wanted to know, or…?"

"No, I have something I'd like to ask you, actually."

That peaked my interest immediately. Ever since the Battle for Manhattan, I've disappeared from most people's radars, only being acknowledged whenever Luke was around. And any of those interactions were less than pleasant, usually ending with sneers and glares being thrown in our general direction.

"I'm listening."

"Well-wait, that night at the bridge was your first battle, right?"

"Yeah. Unless you count shooting down a few harpies around my house." My fingers were already drumming against my thigh as my ADHD began acting up. Then again, I was just as curious to hear whatever Thalia had to tell me.

Thalia whistled lowly, smiling at my response. "You've got potential, Castellan. That's not something you see often in demigods that discover their heritage once their older. Usually they're so scared of leaving what they're used to behind that they pretend that they're not demigods until a monster comes and finishes them off."

I gulped hard at that. I really did _not_ need to know that.

"Thanks for that…cheerful bit of knowledge," I said stiffly. "Now, what did you want to tell me? I have other things I need to do."

"I want you to join the Hunt, Layla. Our numbers are low enough as it is, and I could really use someone like you amongst the girls."

Thalia was firm in her preposition, her voice sounding as business like as any lieutenant would use when trying to be professional. Despite that, I could see worry glimmering in her eyes, like she was afraid of what was going to happen to the Hunters under her watch with so few still alive and able to ward of monsters if an ambush was to happen. I also knew that many of the Hunters that were still alive were pretty young, most under fourteen, and that they had just taken their oaths, meaning they were nowhere near as experienced as the older girls.

I took all of this into consideration while deciding. Joining the Hunt would mean I'd never get to fall in love or raise a family, but I'd be immortal unless I was killed in a fight. The downside with immortality is that I'd watch everyone I love – which isn't many people, mind you- wither away and die, while I'd continue to live amongst my fellow Hunters. But if I joined the Hunt, I knew I'd find a sense of purpose, something better than just drifting around Camp Half-Blood trying to figure out what to do with my life.

The biggest deciding factor in this would have to be Luke. I was slowly starting to rebuild my relationship with him, forgiving him for what he had done in the past, as well as trying to regain the favor of those he had wronged at camp. This would be an arduous process for him, but I wanted to be there, helping him every step of the way until he would be treated fairly by the campers, not like a human punching bag.

Instead of giving Thalia an answer, I wrung my hands in a nervous manner and said, "Can I consider this more? I'd have to sort some things out first."

Thalia smiled in a warm manner. "Of course; take all the time that you need. Even if you don't join now, you can always join so long as you're a maiden." Her smile then turned more into the troublemaker smile I usually saw adorning the Stoll brother's face before they pranked the Demeter cabin. "If you're not joining for a while because of Luke, I completely understand, Layla. Right now, he needs all the love and support he can get. Tell him hi for me!" With that, she slashed her hand through the rainbow, severing the connection.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Picking up my cleaning supplies again, I got back to work, Thalia's offer continuing to replay in my mind as I pondered over my choices.


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," I replied happily, skipping on the slush covered sidewalks of Manhattan.

Winter had hit the Empire State early, causing for a snowstorm to cover most of Long Island and the communities surrounding New York City, like Brooklyn and Queens. Some snow had even fallen through the borders at camp, letting everything be covered in the crisp white blanket. Of course, my siblings had ran out like toddlers, screaming "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" at the top of their lungs, flinging the snow at any person that was outside. Because of them, our entire cabin had dish duty for the next month, but I didn't care. It was _so_ worth seeing Will's flabbergasted face when I pegged him on the shoulder with a snowball.

"You're not even listening to me!" my brother complained, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "If I so much show my face, Zeus knows-!"

"Oh, hush," I chided, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "I doubt Dad will let anything bad happen to his favorite son. Speaking of which," I stopped in front of Luke, placing my hands on his shoulders to make sure he wouldn't bolt, "have you even told Dad that you're alive?"

Luke wouldn't meet my eyes as he bit his bottom lip nervously. "Well, no, but…they're going to kill me!"

My grip tightened slightly. "They are _not_ going to kill you, Luke. If someone so much as tries to hurt you, they'll have to go through _me._ Look, Dad is going to be so excited, because after…what happened, the Fates took your bodies away, and Dad was crying as he gave you some blessing. He loves you, Luke, even if you don't believe it."

Luke didn't respond, just nodding while continuing to chew on his bottom lip. I didn't force him to talk anymore, knowing how hard of a topic talking about Hermes was. Instead, I just slipped a gloved hand into his own, squeezing it once for reassurance before skipping down the sidewalk like a child once more.

0o0o

The security guard was honestly one of the most stubborn people on this planet. He wouldn't give me the damn keycard until I pulled out my dagger and began twirling it in my hand expertly while asking for the keycard once more. He finally handed it over, mumbling something about us being "Good for nothing demigods," but I blame the fact that it's in his job description to keep Olympus hidden from mortals.

Luke was trailing reluctantly behind me, even flinching when the doors to the elevator shut. I swiped the card in the slot next to the buttons, before pressing the golden 600 one. The song "Take On Me" was playing softly in the background, making me cringe the entire ride up. Could Apollo just play smooth jazz in the elevator like every other elevator on the planet? Luke seemed to share my sentiments about the music, looking at the speaker in the roof like he wanted to rip the singer out of the song and cut their vocal cords. And, I'm back to having dark thoughts. Yay!

The doors finally slid open, revealing Olympus, but it seems like winter hadn't even touched the place. It was just as warm and sunny as it was in August when I was last here. The nymphs were in their summer maxi dresses while they tended to their gardens; satyrs were playing their pan pipes in the square, and people tossed drachmas into a small hat in front of the group. One of the bakeries had made fresh goodies, and the sent wafted into the air. This was how Olympus should've been when I first visited, not falling apart at the seams like the war zone it was.

I glanced over at Luke, seeing how he was reacting to being back in the place he had tried to take down with Kronos. His blue eyes shimmered with pure awe and innocence, like he was seeing everything in a new light. At least, I hoped he saw everything in a new light. I don't know what I'd do if Luke betrayed the gods again.

"Everything's so different," he breathed out in his stupor.

"Yeah, Annabeth did a great job. Now, come on. You have fourteen Olympians you need to apologize to."

"Don't remind me," Luke grumbled, ducking his head as one of the minor gods stared at him for too long.

We walked to the throne room, talking about mundane things like our plans for the future and such. We even were able to hold a civil conversation about my wanting to join the Hunt. Luke had freaked when I first told him, nearly running out to whatever forest Thalia was in to scream at her for even offering a place for me amongst them. He then lectured me about the dangers of the demigod life, saying that I hadn't experienced anything in comparison to half the people at camp. I had zoned out during his lecture, causing for him to snap and shout at me. We didn't talk for about a week before the awkwardness became so unbearable that we both apologized to each other.

Ever since then, Luke made a deal with me: I'd finish my first four years of college until I got my bachelor's degree, and then I could join the Hunt. Sure, I'd be joining at an older age, but his argument was that if I ever decided to leave, I'd have an education to fall back on, as well as being qualified for a job. I agreed, and had begun going to NYU, majoring in psychology and computer sciences.

I entered first, joining the other demigods from camp that came yearly during the Winter Solstice Meeting. Zeus looked at me annoyed for entering later, but I saw Dad looking at down at me in confusion. Though our relationship had gotten significantly better, I was more comfortable of accepting the idea that Hermes was my father than actually treating him like a father.

"Why?" he mouthed, sitting straight in his throne when Zeus shot him a warning glance.

"You'll see," I mouthed back, feeling the smirk on my face widen into a full blown grin.

I had been sitting next to Nico, who surprised me by showing up. He was never at camp or at any social gatherings, so it was nice to see him again. After talking to him at the Big House all those months ago, I felt a lot closer with the son of Hades. But I know he held a bit of bitterness against me, because my sibling had come back while his chose rebirth.

"What are you up to, Castellan?" Nico asked in a low voice, checking over his shoulder that neither Hades nor Chiron were looking in his direction.

"You'll see," I replied cheekily.

He huffed in annoyance, but I could tell I had gotten him somewhat interested into what I was planning. I just hope that no one is blown to smithereens by the end of this.

0o0o

"Are you out of your mind?!"

I leaned back against one of the marble pillars in the temple, not giving my full respect. He didn't need it anyways after what had happened in the throne room. Honestly, I was debating slapping him or not, not really caring how much power he had coursing through his body. I know he wouldn't use it against his own child.

"I'm sane, if that's what you're asking," I replied, internally smirking as Dad's irritation grew visible on his face. If we were in a cartoon, I can guarantee steam would've been coming out of his ears.

"This isn't some joke, Layla!" Hermes exclaimed sternly, the wings around his sandals fluttering relentlessly as its owner grew angrier. "If this goes wrong-"

"I know what will happen if things go wrong," I cut him off, glaring. "Luke and I talked this out between us, and we _both_ agreed that this would be the best thing to do. And, come on! You can't seriously be having regrets that Luke's back. He's your favorite son, and every child of Hermes at camp knows this."

"I don't play favorites."

I scoffed at that, rolling my eyes for good measure. Hermes sighed in exasperation, his face appearing more aged than I last remembered. Dark circles were etched on the skin beneath his brown eyes. Some strands of his chestnut hair had gone gray, almost as if he was a middle aged mortal. I don't know if I was the one causing this, or if this was over his grief. I remembered how broken Hermes was when he had to say goodbye to Luke. Quite honestly, I never want to see anyone I know wear that expression again.

"Like hell you don't. It's okay, Dad; none of us at camp care. We're still family, right? And family sticks together."

Hermes finally stopped wearing the mask of a concerned parent and smiled proudly. He ruffled my hair affectionately, which I still complained about, but he wasn't so worked up anymore.

"You're right, Layla," Hermes admitted, sighing softly. "I just hope my father doesn't kill him."

"Oh, that won't happen," I said dismissively, waving away Dad's concerns. "I've got Luke covered."

"How can you be so sure?"

I smiled coyly. "I'm your daughter, no? You're the god of communications, and let's say I'm _very_ persuasive when it comes to arguments. Plus," I added, "I don't think Zeus would go against his own daughter."

"You brought Thalia into this?!"

"And Percy and Annabeth," I informed him, laughing at his dumbfounded expression. "I think I safeguarded Luke pretty well if I do say so myself."

Hermes whistled lowly, clearly impressed at my work. "It's good to see you inherited that from me. That skill works wonders as you get older, sweetheart, don't forget it!" After I finished groaning, Hermes added, "Tell Luke that I love him."

I cocked an eyebrow at Hermes, perplexed as to why he was telling me to play a game of telephone with him. I understood a moment too late, and by then Hermes had already left, leaving me by myself inside his temple. I get that the gods are busy, but come on! Is it so hard to make sure that your child is vaporized by the end of talking with the very temperamental king of the gods?

I passed the time by drawing flowers and other random doodles on my hands with a pen I had found tucked into my jackets. Yes, I knew I could get ink poisoning, but I don't think Dad would be too happy if he checks on his temple only to find a part of it covered in meaningless ink. By the time most of my arms were covered in ink, Luke walked into the temple, his skin pale as milk, but his cheeks were flushed red. Other than that, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him. He sat beside me silently, exhaling loudly as he rested his head on his knees.

Not prying for answers, I let him sit their brooding for ten minutes, before I told him that we needed to get back to camp before sunset. That stirred him slightly, but he was still clearly zoned out as I lead him back towards the elevator. As we were about to cross the bridge connecting Olympus to the mortal world, I felt an ice cold hand touch my shoulder. Turning around, I saw Nico, wearing his typical moody and depressed expression, but anxiety seemed to be showing through his mask he works so hard on maintaining.

Luke paled even more at the sight of Nico, rapidly rushing to the elevators without me. I stayed watching him for a heartbeat longer, before turning to speak to the son of Hades.

"Did Luke tell you what his punishment was?" Nico asked, twisting the skull ring on his finger nervously.

"No," I answered, biting my lips as I began fearing the worst. "How bad is it?"

Nico snorted, shaking his head as if I was naïve. "Layla, I don't know who brought Luke back, but it definitely wasn't my father. He still has to respect the rules of death."

"But the gods can't just up and kill a person, can they?"

"No," Nico conceded. "But be realistic here, Castellan. The Olympians can probably get away with murder, and no one would stop them, or try to enact justice." I must've been wearing my heart on my sleeve, showing how disheartening this was to hear. "From what I've overheard, you should probably settle anything between you two now. Sorry, but I can't say anything else, or my dad will never let me out of the Underworld again."

As I stood there, feeling like the world was crashing down around me, Nico left, shooting me a pitiful glance before vanishing into the nearest shadow. I kept replaying the information over and over in my head, finding it more and more difficult to come to terms with the situation at hand.

My body moved without me thinking of it, and the next thing I know, I was back on the elevator down. Grief was clouding my mind, thinking of all the things I hadn't gotten time to do with Luke and things I'd never be able to do with him. But my grief soon gave way to anger. _This_ was how the Olympians repaid their children? What about all the other traitors? They had been granted amnesty thanks to Percy, but they were sentencing my brother to death. And had Zeus completely ignored the fact that the three most powerful demigods were backing Luke?! I swear, if there was a way to kill gods, I would so do it!

Clenching my jaw was the only thing keeping me from screaming in frustration at the unfairness of it all. The Olympians were only marginally better rulers than the Titans that preceded them. At least they didn't eat their children. Well…Zeus did eat Metis, who had been pregnant with Athena at the time, so… My point still stands!

Will's cheerful face greeted me when I returned to camp, his skin flushed from the cold. There were damp spots on his clothes, which weren't made for snow. His jacket was nowhere thick enough to be keeping him warm, and that was obvious seeing how loudly his teeth were chattering. Despite how angry I was, I couldn't stay that way around Will. The son of Apollo was the same perky ball of sunshine that his dad was, minus all the annoying haikus, thank the gods.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stay out here any longer," I chided in a mother like tone, taking off my own winter coat to drape over his lanky frame. I brushed some of the melted snow that was more slush than water off his back and hair, causing for Will to complain that I was babying him. "Oh hush," I said. "If I didn't mother you you'd already be frozen."

Will pouted, pulling huge puppy dog eyes on me. "That's not true, Layla!"

"Yes, it is, William!" I laughed as Will's face morphed into one of annoyance. He hated when I used his full name. "Come with me to the Big House. I'll make us some hot chocolate, kay?"

"Yay, chocolate!" Will took off, smiling widely like a young child, leaving me behind as I shook my head fondly. I laughed even harder when Will tripped over some Nike kid, causing for both to go tumbling into the snow, but Will barely helped them up before running up the stairs on the porch.

Even with the dark cloud I had looming over my head, it was nice to know that I'd be able to count on my ball of sunshine whenever I needed.

0o0o

I had nightmares that night, something that had ceased to plague me ever since Kronos' defeat. Once again, I found myself in the familiar dark and dank air that was the Underworld. Passing through countless nameless shades, chattering away aimlessly, I found myself appear by the side of the River Styx.

Sitting on the river bank was a nymph who had her feet dipped in the poisonous waters. She didn't seem to mind the toxicity of the river, frowning at all the trinkets floating downstream-mortal hopes and dreams that had never came true. Her skin was a porcelain white, about the same color as a china doll you'd see at a toy shop. But her hair was a stark contrast to her skin, being an almost inky, midnight black. Even from here, I could see a gray aura of power pulsing from her body.

"Come, daughter of Hermes," she said simply, not even turning in my direction.

Getting as close as I dared to the Styx, I stood there, seeing if the nymph wanted me to do anything else before I'd talk to her. For some reason, the Styx seemed to be the source of her power, and if that was the case, I did _not_ want to anger her.

"I'm not going to bite, child. Please, join me by the riverbank. I promise no water will touch you."

I was cautious as I neared, noting that the rocks were slippery as the slope steepened towards the rushing water. As I stood awkwardly next to the sitting nymph, a ghost appeared next to the river. He was wearing old Greek armor, even having the helmet with plumage tucked under his arm. A sword was sheathed in a scabbard hanging around his waist, but other than that, he was unarmed. The most notable thing about the man was the shaft of the arrow protruding from his heel. Dried blood was splattered around the skin of the wound, piercing right through the…the Achilles tendon. Achilles was forced to watch the River Styx for all eternity?! Wow, that was a depressing ending for one of the greatest heroes.

He sighed in a defeated manner, glancing at the murky water before giving me a once over. "This would be the first time a girl tries to bear my curse," he said lowly. "Is there anything I can say to convince you of not jumping to the Styx?"

"Uh, what?" I asked, my eyes widening to the size of saucers. "Woah there, buddy, I'm not jumping into any river anytime soon!"

"At least you're sane, unlike the last two that tried," scoffed Achilles, the stress disappearing from his eyes. "Well, if that's all, I'll be on my way." The hero bowed in the direction of the nymph, before his ghostly body disappeared in a wisp of gray smoke.

"He was just doing his job," Lady Styx explained, probably from my still awe-stricken face. "I know he thinks it's bothersome, but he's saved more lives than I can remember. The older heroes are so foolish, you see, thinking that invulnerability is something that anyone can obtain. As if! Out of the many that have tried, only three survived taking a swim in my waters."

I gulped, not knowing what to do with the information I had just received.

"That's…nice," I answered cautiously. "But what does this have to do with me?"

"Yes, the reason I called you here. I have heard about the unfortunate fate of your brother. Such a shame." Styx shook her head in what could've been either disbelief or pity. "He was reluctant to bear my blessing, but alas, he succeeded anyways. But he cheated death, and as an entity of the Underworld, I hope you understand when I say this kind of thing is not condoned by me, or any god under Hades' rule."

So _this_ was it? The only reason the nymph of the Styx was talking to me was to warn me of what was bound to come? It was a sweet gesture, especially coming from one of the most malevolent spirits in mythology, but I didn't need to constantly hear the fact over and over again.

"Luke told me of his fate already," I told Styx. "We… _I_ have begun to arrange everything." Pursing my lips together, I asked, "Is my brother going to Punishment?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know. You'd have to speak to the Judges about that-wicked old cronies that lot! If any of _them_ deserve to be in Punishment, it's definitely Minos. No matter, we're here on the topic of your brother. There is one other thing about my blessing that no one other than Achilles knows."

"Which is?"

"All souls that survive a bath in my river are forever bound to me, even after death."

"So, that would mean…?" I couldn't even finish my thought, feeling my entire body shaking with grief. As if I needed _another_ thing added onto this whole complicated mess. "He would have to…?"

Styx gave me a grim smile. "Unfortunately so, child. He will stand guard at my banks until he joins the nameless in Asphodel, or if he goes to rebirth, he will be free of my service as well. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just thought you should know. Truly, I'm sorry for the circumstances surrounding our meeting. That will be all, demigoddess. You may go."

 **Guys, this is important, so please read this. As of today, my state is under a hurricane watch, meaning within the next few days Hurricane Matthew might hit my home. If this means I lose power, that will be the reason my updates might come after a longer period of time than normal. Fingers crossed that it doesn't go that far, but Matthew** ** _is_** **a category 4 already. Sorry for sounding so depressing, but I thought you guys should know in case it seems like I disappeared off the face of the Earth.**

 **I'll-hopefully-see you guys later this week!**


	10. Chapter 10

The week ended far too early for my liking as reality sucker punched me hard. Ever since I woke up, I haven't been able to stay still for longer than a second. Whether I was moving by repeatedly tapping my fingers on something, or fussing with my hair, I just couldn't stay still. Even my siblings in the Hermes cabin had left me alone, feeling just as depressed as I was at what was to come this evening.

Honestly, I just wanted to be holding my older brother in my arms in a bone crushing embrace, knowing that no one was going to be taking him away from me again. If Luke had asked me to, I would go to Tartarus and back if it meant he would get to live out the rest of his life, but being the overly noble bastard he is, he silently accepted his fate, acknowledging that he should've died on Percy's birthday.

And that brought me to where I was now, glaring as Apollo's chariot raced to meet the horizon. The sky was alight with gold and orange and pink hues-a beautiful sunset for what was about to be one of my darkest days. Not even the nearing new year was enough to raise my spirits, despite all the cheery Christmas lights still shining from their places on cabins. The entire Hermes cabin was so depressed that when a young son of Aphrodite tried to start a snowball fight with the remaining snow on the ground, many of my siblings shot him a withering glare, sending him running back to his cabin.

The mood was somber as our cabin sat around the dying fire, each log slowly starting to burn out. I kept focusing on some of the wood, thinking of it to be Luke's lifeline, but inevitably, it caught fire and burned into ashes. Just like Luke's body would soon be burned.

I clenched my fists, trying to forget the day we had built the shroud. I had only added a small detail to it, one that no one would understand but Luke and me; I had found a beanbag figure of Hera's apples of immortality and sewed it onto the blue and brown fabric. I remember Luke smiling at the apple bitterly, tracing the scar on his face unconsciously. I had heard that he had failed the quest, but I explained it to him as the time Dad acknowledged Luke as his son in front of his fellow campers. My response earned me a full blown smile from Luke, as I tried not to cry at the thought of him no longer being around.

It was crazy how the person you hated most in your life could become someone you couldn't imagine living without.

When the sun finally disappeared over the horizon, Hades appeared in a whirlwind of shadows. My younger siblings hugged Luke fiercely, before running back to the cabin, not wanting to see the "bad man" as they had dubbed Hades take him away. For the first time in the few months I had been here, I saw Travis and Connor completely break down, saying how much they were going to miss their big bro, and that they forgave him completely for what he had done. Chris was more composed than the Stolls, but tears were still tracing tracks down his cheeks, and he thanked Luke for giving him a family even when Hermes didn't acknowledge him as his son, forgiving him for everything as well.

By the time everyone had left, I was the only one that hadn't said goodbye.

"Make it quick, girl," Hades spat bitterly. "I've wasted enough of my time here as it is."

I glared at the god of the Underworld for a few seconds, before trying to pull Luke as close to me as possible. I didn't even notice how hard I was crying, my anguish increasing even more when I felt Luke's own tears dampen my hair. He was shaking just as badly as I was, running his hands through my hair like I had gotten used to him doing.

"I love you," I choked out, still clinging to his chest like a lifeline. "Remember that, okay? I love you, and I forgive you." I gave him a watery smile that lasted for only half a second before my vision clouded over with tears again. "I-I'm going to m-miss you so much."

"I love you too, Layla," he said back, his voice cracking at my name. "And I always will." He wiped away my tears with his thumbs, before placing a kiss on my forehead like any older brother would do for their younger sister. He turned towards Hades, breathing shakily. "I'm ready."

Hades rolled his eyes, probably thinking how dramatic we mortals are. But right now, I could care less what he thought. Hades then grabbed Luke roughly by the shoulder, and the shadows enveloped them, leaving nothing behind but the smell of death.

I then promptly collapsed to my knees, feeling nothing but emptiness in my chest as a single tear slid down my cheek.

* * *

I spent the next few days holed up in my cabin, dressed in sweats, curled in my blankets, and boxes of tissues strewn everywhere. The rest of the cabin was pretty much the same, except some bunks had tubs of empty ice cream thrown on the floor. People had gotten the idea pretty quickly that something traumatic had happened to our cabin after not seeing any of us leave unless it was to use the bathroom or to eat.

We were careful not to bring up any mentions of Luke, especially around the younger kids, who cried at the mere sound of the letter _L._ That resulted in interesting conversations, one, and me being called Thea for a few days.

Right now, we were in the process of picking up the pieces, starting with making our cabin clean again. I had finally changed into actual clothing (a camp shirt and jeans), and was currently making my bed and picking up the trash littering my bunk.

Cabin cleanup was in full swing, except for touching Luke's bed. Resting on top of his sheets were the silken sheets that we would use for his shroud to be burned tomorrow. As for his body, Hades had promised Dad that he'd preserve Luke's body until our cabin was mentally stable to carry out a funeral. I had already spoken to Nico via Iris message, and he said he would tell his dad that we were ready. Well, as ready as one can ever be for these kind of things.

The day passed by in the same haziness I had grown accustomed to, with everyone zooming past me in a blur, while I felt like everything around me was still. Some campers would come up to me occasionally throughout the day, offering me condolences, before rushing off to wherever they needed to be. I was so out of it that even in my conversation with Will, I was responding completely absentmindedly.

"Lay, I need to tell you something," Will said, his voice deadly serious as he lowered his voice.

Blinking twice in an attempt to push my own worries aside, I turned to the younger son of Apollo, my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Will had gone as pale as the snow, and his eyes were focused on some fixed point off in the distance, refusing to meet my eyes.

"You can tell me anything, Will," I said softly, pulling him into a side hug. "You know I won't judge."

"I, uh, I have a crush on someone," he said rapidly, his face turning a bright red in embarrassment. "But I don't think they like me back."

"Well, who is it? I can snoop around, if you want me to that is." I ruffled his hair when he began to protest. "Daughter of Hermes, remember? If I need to find something about this girl, I will."

Will winced, turning his head away again. His face was a bright red color. "Err, it's not a girl."

Oh. I froze for a moment, trying to figure out what I should say to him. I would support Will no matter what, but kids were cruel. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him for coming out. Will stiffened under my touch, most likely taking my silence for rejection. Instead, I pulled him closer, kissing him on the forehead like an older sister, which he had begun to call me as such.

"Is that what you were so worried about?" I asked, smiling a little. "Will, I love you for who you are, and that will never change. Whoever ends up with you, boy or girl, is going to be extremely lucky to have you. Now that I cleared that up, who is it?!"

Will groaned at my childish antics, but he was smiling widely as the color returned to his skin. He hugged me one more time, thanking me for understanding, before rambling on and on about this boy that he had become smitten with. I tried to get a name out of him, but he never said anything, and after a while, I let the topic drop, just enjoying the sound of his jubilant voice fill the air.

* * *

I know that the gods control the weather and all, but I hope Zeus wasn't intentionally making it rain freezing cold sleet today. Chris had been glaring up at the sky through the window earlier, muttering that even after the gods had gotten what they wanted, they were still being ridiculously petty.

Smoothening out my black skirt, I threw on my bright green coat that was waterproof as well, clashing with my all black outfit. Sighing as I laced up my boots, I finished getting ready, and left the cabin in a rush. Not all of my siblings were going to attend the pyre burning-thank the gods-but it was many of the older ones, the ones that had known Luke the longest.

Typically demigods didn't dress in the traditional mourning colors, but Chiron had been tearful himself when he was planning for the burning. I guess Luke had touched more people than I noticed.

A few minutes later, but what felt like an eternity to me, I was holding a torch in my hand, and an electric blue shroud was lying on a marble table. My body was trembling as I set the flame on the fabric, stifling a sob with the back of my hand. A sole tear traced down my face as I bit the inside of my cheek hard, not letting myself break down in front of people outside of my cabin.

The entire pavilion was quiet as the smoke rose into the gloomy sky. By some miracle the sleet didn't put out the fire, and the fabric burned down to the last thread. Looking up, I saw lightning flash across the looming gray clouds. Zeus was such a drama queen! Honestly, he got the traitor executed, but now he was going to throw a temper tantrum, too?! Good gods, if I could, I would smack his arrogant ass into Tartarus for a few days to teach him some humility!

I handed the torch back to Nico, who had been the one running this entire thing, and he nodded grimly at me once. There was some emotion he was hiding as he refused to meet my eyes, and his shoulders were hunched over, but I had no idea whether it was directed at me or not. If he was still here later, I'd have to ask him.

As everyone began to disperse, I caught a flash of silver darting back towards the border of camp. Narrowing my eyes, I hastily pulled my hoodie over my head, before chasing after the figure, my bow and quiver already on my body. Notching an arrow, I noticed where the person was, and released it where they were going to be a moment before they were there. The arrow hit them, pinning them by their shoulder to a tree.

I sprinted over there, wary of whoever wanted to dart away this fast from a pyre burning. For all I knew, some traitor could've walked in here trying to make sure that Luke was really dead. I instead found an angered Thalia, trying to rip the arrow out of her jacket. Thank the gods, it didn't actually go through her shoulder, instead holding her in place by the stuffing of her parka.

"I've got this," I said stiffly, whipping out one of my daggers from my waist, before cutting off the arrow head from its shaft.

Thalia jerked forward, scowling at the tear in her hunting gear. Her body was sparking with electricity. "What was that about?" she exclaimed, visibly struggling to keep her composure.

"I thought you were a spy," I said simply, brushing off her betrayed look. "I didn't know you were coming, okay? So sorry for thinking the worst of someone suddenly sprinting out on my brother's pyre burning."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Thalia in a small voice, lowering her eyes as her shoulders hunched forward. She laughed humorlessly for a moment, saying, "You know, Layla, Luke was just as much as a brother to me as he was to you. I don't know if he ever told you, but he never forgot about you, always saying that he was staying away to keep you safe. He didn't want the monsters coming after you."

"I just wish he would've come back sooner." I probably sounded selfish, but I'd deal with the consequences later. "Not that I wanted the monsters after me, or for him to abandon you and Annabeth, but I can't help but feel like I was one of the things that convinced for him to turn to Kronos. I know I shouldn't be loading all these 'what if's' on myself, but I just wish there was something I could've done so that none of this would've happened."

"I feel the same way. I'm pretty sure Annie feels like that, too."

I smiled bitterly. "She and I can't even hold a civil conversation. Annabeth still thinks I'm a murderer for using that necklace on Luke. The prophecy was still fulfilled…either way, he's still dead, but at least I gave him another six months of life. Six more months that she would never have if Percy had listened to her!" Clenching my fists, I slowed my breathing to keep my composure. "It's just…hard not seeing him anymore, that's all."

I turned to walk away, wanting nothing more than to go hole myself back in the Hermes cabin, wishing that Luke would somehow come back to me. But Thalia caught me by the arm, her face showing the amount of grief I must've been in.

"You know, Layla, my offer still stands. I've heard how much of a wreck you've been ever since…never mind. The Hunt can give you a purpose, something that you won't ever achieve here."

"Okay," I decided.

"Seriously, you have no idea…wait, what?" Thalia was looking at me in confusion. Every time she had asked so far, my answer had always been the same: No. "Are you serious?"

"Completely. Give me five minutes; I'll be right back."

"Okay, but be quick about goodbyes-those are the messiest."

Nodding quickly, I hurried back to the Hermes cabin. I sheathed the rest of my daggers (four of them total) in their scabbards hidden under my clothes, as well as slinging my newly acquired broadsword across my back. In a small pouch, I had drachmas and a prism, as well as two well-worn pictures-one of my mother, and one of Luke. I scribbled a note hastily to my cabin mates, taping it on the wood above my bunk for everyone to see.

There were two last things I needed to do before I could leave, and that was say goodbye to the boys that saw me as their older sister. I found Will in the infirmary first, and when I broke the news to him, he was a crying mess, but he understood why I was leaving. He made me promise that I would visit whenever I could, and I told him whenever Lady Artemis allowed for me to, I'd visit him.

Things were a bit messier with Nico, who looked at me like something inside of him had broken. Anger then flooded his features as the shadows swirled around him like a black cocoon. "You too?!" he had shouted. "Why does the Hunt take everyone I love from me?!"

I immediately pulled the younger boy into my arms, still feeling him shake in anger. He was tense under my touch, but I knew that was since he didn't like people touching him. "Nico, I can't promise you that I will live forever, because I know that's not true. But I can promise you that I will keep myself as safe as I need to be while still making a difference. I'm also a little more experienced than Bianca, Nico, so if that's any comfort to you-"

"If you wanted to stay safe for me, you wouldn't join the Hunt!" Nico protested, his eyes pooling with tears that he furiously wiped away.

"Nico, I don't have a place here. I'm not happy with my life; the Hunt can maybe fill that void. I love you, _fratellino._ If you ever need me, send me an Iris message or come and visit. I'll be there as long as you need me."

The next thing I knew, Nico was the one pulling me closer to him. I knew this would be hard on him, seeing that Bianca had already died by joining the Hunt. I hugged him back just as fiercely, hoping that that would let him know I would try my hardest to stay alive for him and Will. Both are still impressionable children, and I promised to myself I'd be the best big sister for these two while still being happy with my own life.

"I've got to go," I said, kissing him on the cheek. "And don't be afraid to call me in the middle of the night, either," I added cheekily, ruffling his hair.

By the time I had gotten ten feet away from the border, Nico had already melted into the shadows. I sighed, knowing that he probably went to the Underworld, looking for comfort amongst the dead.

Thalia was leaning against her tree, hitting the snow off the lowest branch. She perked up as she noticed me. "Ready?"

I looked back at Camp Half-Blood for a few moments, before giving a content sigh. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Smirking, Thalia led me out into the wilderness outside of camp, before blowing a hunter's horn. With that, a silver light enveloped the both of us, and we disappeared.

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 **I surprised myself by finding the time to write this chapter for you guys, so I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **And on an unrelated note, for all my readers in the Southeastern U.S., please stay safe! My family's already prepared for Matthew to hit us after midnight, and I hope everyone is prepared whether that be by riding out the storm in your home or evacuating somewhere else.**

 **Love ya, Sparks! Cya whenever this cursed hurricane is over! ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**This** **is the last chapter of Forgotten! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!**

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 ** _Epilogue_**

 ** _5 years later_**

I couldn't believe that we finally had some peace for once. That winter after I had joined the Hunt, Percy had been kidnapped by her royal highness, Hera, swapping her out for Thalia's long-lost brother, Jason Grace. Then there was this whole Prophecy of Seven mess (I would blame either Rachel or Apollo, but they can't control when prophecies come to pass, so I blame the Fates), Nico resurrected his Roman half-sister, there was a Hephaestus kid, Leo, who could control fire, and an extremely powerful daughter of Aphrodite, Piper, who could charmspeak like no one else. There was also this Chinese Canadian kid named Frank, who apparently was in Poseidon's bloodline, and can apparently change into animals. I nearly castrated the Roman augur, Octavian (the bastard), but he flung himself to his own demise. Also, I learned that Nico, Annabeth, and Percy had fallen into Tartarus, literal Greek hell. I can't tell you how close I was to flinging myself into that pit after learning that my baby brother was in there, then kept as a prisoner of war by the twin giants that apparently are like Dionysus on steroids at thirty feet tall.

Oh, if I hadn't mentioned by now, this was when Gaea and her second spawn of children, the Giants, tried to take down Olympus.

After that mess, Zeus cast Apollo down from Olympus, making him a mortal, and that is a whole other mess that I will _not_ go into. The only thing I'm sure of is that Nero and his two other goons are dead for real this time. I wonder where that ragamuffin, Meg, is now.

"You're brooding again," Thalia's sarcastic voice said, nudging my arm with her elbow. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just the mess that was the last three years." I raked a hand through my hair, moving to re-braid it. "The lack of monsters is nice."

"You can say that again, sister!" She clapped me on the back twice, smiling as the other Hunters made s'mores or were playing truth or dare.

I smiled at the sight. The Hunt is probably the place I feel most at home. They accepted me with open arms, not even caring that Luke had been a traitor against Olympus, because I had fought alongside them defending Manhattan.

Speaking of Luke, today was December 29th, the day Hades had took him back to the Underworld. Lady Artemis usually gave me the 29th through the New Year away from the Hunt, before I'd have to return.

I stood up from the log I had been sitting up, entering Lady Artemis' tent. She was always distant during this time as well, which I had learnt from Atalanta, one of her oldest hunters, was due to the death of Zoë Nightshade.

"My Lady?" I asked respectfully, fiddling with the bracelet that I still had around my wrist. Ever since his death, I've never taken it off.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you, Layla. Is it the date I believe it is?" she asked, gracefully sitting up from her bed.

"Yes, my Lady. May I take my leave?"

"Permission granted. You already know when to be back by. You may go."

I smiled sadly. "If you ever need to talk to someone, my Lady, know that I understand better than most Hunters what you're going through. Plus, any one of us would be more than willing to listen to you. Just remember that."

I left Artemis in her tent with an expression that I can only describe as though she discovered something new. Using my heightened abilities I had gained from being a Hunter, I covered the distance from northwest New York, up by Niagara Falls, to Long Island in an hour.

Shaking the snow off my clothes, I smiled widely as I entered camp. All the cabins were decked out in Christmas decorations, despite the fact that it was a Christian holiday, we still celebrated it anyways. Annabeth had designed New Athens, the Greek version of New Rome, so demigods could live safely inside of camp borders and still live like mortals, having jobs and other responsibilities. The Athena Parthenos was another protector of the magical borders, like the Golden Fleece the dragon, Peleus, guarded.

I waved to Chiron, who had finally retired as activity director for Camp Half-Blood. He was now the principal of the school in New Athens, but he would offer advice to any demigod who asked him for help. I smiled as I saw Melody, my niece, chasing after some boy with honey blonde hair and sea green eyes. Melody was Chris and Clarisse's daughter, and from what Chris has told me, she has a major crush on Lucas Charles Jackson, Percy and Annabeth's son.

The first time I had heard Jackson's son was named Lucas, I nearly blew a fuse, multiple times. Now, I know I don't have the copyright on the name Luke, but it felt like a huge insult to me for the girl that still thinks of me as a murderer to name her son after my brother. What's even worse (in my opinion that is) is that Luke went for rebirth, and Nico confirmed that Lucas was Luke.

He still had faint traces of memories with me, because I remember Annabeth's pissed off voice on the end of an Iris message when his first word had been "Layla." I remember smiling smugly while she cursed me to all the gods, until Percy pulled her away, apologizing sheepishly. Percy and my relationship got much better over time, but it never got farther than an amicable, friendly manner. We had an agreement to not talk too much about the past, unless it was to help Nico with his PTSD.

As I thought of Nico, my face muscles hurt as I smiled widely, a happiness that I haven't felt around my sisters in the Hunt in a while. Though I loved the girls, I truly loved my baby bros. Which was actually kind of weird now that they were dating.

I paused in the middle of the sidewalk for a second as the thought sunk in. Oh well. I mean, Zeus married Hera, and then screwed Demeter over, which resulted in Persephone. Immortal families are immortally messy, as Dad had told me once, which is one of the truest statements I have ever heard from an Olympian.

That day, I met up with Nico and Will, spending the entire day catching up with them. We traded stories, and I used every single opportunity to make them blush, making me laugh hysterically as their faces burned. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen when the both of them were underneath a mistletoe, and their faces were so red as they kissed in the doorway of their apartment building.

At night, I went back into the main part of camp, walking into the forest where Luke had found a small alcove he usually went to as a way to get away from camp. There was where I had built my own little shrine to Luke, well, more as a gravesite anyways.

I had three pictures surrounding a polished piece of marble that I had carved in the arts and crafts center. There was rotten flowers around the marble, which I dusted off. I smiled sadly as I touched my bracelet, setting down a fresh bouquet of daises next to a picture of me and Luke hugging each other at home. I was the last Castellan I knew of now.

I bit my lip as I thought of how bad Mom had been. The last time I visited, I had found her dead in the kitchen. The coroners said it had been from some kind of fungal disease that ate away at her internal organs until she died. Mom's death hadn't hit me as hard as Luke's had, but it still hurt nonetheless. At least she had looked peaceful when I found her – eyes shut in eternal slumber with a half-made peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her hand. Yeah, I'm never eating a PB&J again.

"Hi, Luke," I said, smiling sadly as I sat on the cold ground. "I still can't believe that you're back, you stubborn bastard. I thought you would've waited at least another few years, you know. I guess Achilles wasn't the best company, huh?" I was quiet for a few moments, before saying, "I miss you, Luke. You have no idea how much I regret hating you for so long. But this time, I'll watch out for you, make sure you don't make the same mistakes. Not that you will; your parents would kill you otherwise.

"I'm happy with how my life turned out, bro, and that is more than I ever hoped for. Please stay safe in your new life, okay?" I then blew a kiss into the air and left. The only thing I left behind was the silver cross that had given Luke a second chance at life, a second chance to be a brother.

And for the first time in my life, I didn't regret a single thing.

 ** _~The End~_**

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 **If you guys have something you want me to write - whether it be for this story or something completely different - feel free to let me know! You can either leave your idea in a review or feel free to PM me.**

 **Thanks again for reading my story! I might post a couple of one-shots about Layla's future and bonding with Lucas and other stuff later on, so be aware of that. See ya later, Sparks! 😄**


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